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Hello newbie with eye trouble!

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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Belvedere

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi there everyone I'm in my mid-50s and I was diagnosed on August 20th 2021 with Type 2. I'd had bloods done for a long-term hoarseness leftover from a cough and a more long-term 'habit' of throat clearing. Had been pre-diabetic for years and overweight and constantly dieting, losing a couple of stones then back up again. Doctor thought it was reflux causing my throat issues so referred me to ENT and chest x-ray and prescribed Omezeropole.

Dr phoned me with blood test results as they were sufficiently concerning. My fasting BG was 19 and my HbAC1 was 103. They also revealed H-Pylori Helicobacter anti-bodies and he suspected I had an active infection. So I was immediately prescribed Metformin 500g 1 tablet a day and half a 80mg Gliclazide (40mg) tablet a day.

I had been taking the above medications (plus 2 lots of heavy duty antibiotics for the Helicobacter) for about 4 days when I started getting confused because I kept thinking I was wearing an old pair of glasses because my vision was unclear. I wear varifocals and just couldn't find a focussed part that made anything clearer. I tried on another spare pair and they were just as bad. I then found a fixed distance pair of glasses that I only got a few months ago and hardly wear and the distance was all blurry with them too. I could still see my phone and books without glasses if I held them close without my glasses so my very near vision was perfect.

I was getting worried so phoned opticians who basically said that it was perfectly normal and that even though I was due for a sight test they wouldn't give me one for about 12 weeks. They would wait until my glucose levels stabilised. This is all very common and to do with how the glucose levels effect the fluid levels in your eyes.

I wish someone would have warned me! What confuses me is that my glucose levels have come down since my 19 reading because I've reduced my carb intake AND am taking 2 medications. My BG levels haven't been really high for years unnoticed. My last HbAC1 was only 10 months ago and that was within a normal range.

I'm about to start a new full-time job after being out of work for 2 years so am concerned I won't be able to see the computer well enough without being an inch away from the screen. That would be a bit embarrassing in an open-plan office.

Has anyone else been through this period of altered vision? How long did it take to get back to normal? I should add that I've been having regular 6 weekly checks on my eyes since March because I have a slightly detached retina. I've had loads of images taken of my eyes and have asked whether there were any signs of retinopathy (I've been waiting for Type 2 to strike because of my weight and family history) They said it looks fine (although the reason I went to opticians was because of a marked increase in floaters in my left eye which was apparently nothing to worry about but they then spotted my retinal detachment in my right eye which was symptomless!)

Anyway sorry for the long introductory post. I've got so many other questions but have already learnt so much on this forum. I had my 1st meeting with the diabetic nurse yesterday and got given a glucose monitor and my 1st home reading this morning was 8.8 before brunch and 8.8 2 hours after. Will no doubt be scouring the boards to find out about all things BG related. I've also had a dodgy thyroid reading and the ENT consultant said my reflux was indicative of hypothyroidism - she was so convinced she didn't even bother putting the camera down my throat. My Dr thinks otherwise... But that's another story...
 
Hi @Belvedere and welcome to the forum.
Temporary blurred vision is quite common when Blood Glucose changes by much(either up or down) in a relatively short time. It normally lasts only a few weeks.
Because it is only temporary the optician doesn't want to do an eye test only for it to be way out in a couple of weeks time. If you need specs before your body gets used to the new blood glucose level, see if you can find a cheap pair that will do for the time being rather than paying out hundreds of pounds.
 
I don't know if you take blood pressure medication but some of those can cause a tickly cough but it is also something you get with reflux.
As far as the eyesight is concerned, exactly that happened to be when my glucose level dropped. I wasn't aware that it might happen, it was my near vision that was the problem, distance was OK. My experience is that it lasted several months but not everybody suffers that long. The detached retina probably doesn't help either.
 
Thanks both. Yes I might need to get some interim specs. Trouble is I'm very shortsighted so I always pay extra for thinner lenses otherwise they look like the bottom of a coca cola bottle! But I'll see how it goes. Might be that I'm going to be working from home for the majority of my week (for the next while anyway) That will help.

Yes I wondered about the cough and BP medication but it's sporadic and the throat clearing predates my BP medication. The ENT consultant said I was a 'textbook case' of hypothyroidism and that the reflux can be a feature. I guess if the recent blood test at the hospital reveals antibodies it will confirm this. She was a great consultant and was going through all my past blood test results going back 10 years and seeing a pattern of a thyroid issue. Also said my Vit D was barely registering adequate at the height of summer which should have been flagged up to me. She was also going to test my B12 levels. Very thorough. Hopefully I'll get those results explained to me on Monday by phone.

I just hope I'm able to cope with a full-on full-time job with this diagnosis. I will try my best to lose the 4 stone I need to lose to get me to a BMI of 25. I can't lose weight as quickly as I once did but I'll go for a slow and steady approach which should happen if I reduce my intake of bread, pastry, rice, pasta etc ... I've done Michael Moseley's approach in the past with low carb and Fast 800 but I'm steering clear of that approach in these early days of taking medication because I'm not sure if they mix. I just need to monitor the situation first.
 
You could possibly find some reading glasses which will do - some supermarkets sell them - the ones I use for working with small bits of machinery were in a range which went from minus four to plus four with examples to try on and boards with print on them to check for distance - and they were ridiculously cheap for someone used to paying hundreds for glasses to sort out my wonky mismatched eyes - I just put the reading ones on at the same time as the expensive ones, having checked that was possible. If you got better optics naturally just one pair at a time should sort it.
Don't worry too much about weight.
I had much better blood glucose readings very soon after starting low carb, I was then mystified as to how I lost 50lb without trying. I always found losing weight impossible, but the advice was always to eat high carb low fat - which I did, sometimes until I started to collapse.
 
Belvedere said:
Yes I wondered about the cough and BP medication but it's sporadic and the throat clearing predates my BP medication. The ENT consultant said I was a 'textbook case' of hypothyroidism and that the reflux can be a feature. I guess if the recent blood test at the hospital reveals antibodies it will confirm this. She was a great consultant and was going through all my past blood test results going back 10 years and seeing a pattern of a thyroid issue. Also said my Vit D was barely registering adequate at the height of summer which should have been flagged up to me. She was also going to test my B12 levels. Very thorough. Hopefully I'll get those results explained to me on Monday by phone.
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It’s odd that she is linking reflux with hypothyroidism. I suffered reflux and stomach ulcers for 30+ years beginning at age 15, until H.Pylori was discovered and I had two lots of antibiotics which cured it and I have not had reflux since that time. I have had hypothyroidism for the last 15 years, but again, no reflux. FWIW metformin can cause a Vit B12 deficiency as also can Omeprazole, (which is a proton oump inhibitor) that I think you mentioned. B12 deficiency can cause a wide range of nasty symptoms, but you should be offered injections to put this right since both Metformin and Omeprazole will inhibit your stomach from absorbing the vitamin. Hope this helps.
 
Welcome to the forum @Belvedere

Hope your eyes settle before long.

Good luck with your new job! How long til you start?
 
Thanks Patti, drummer and Everyday. The B12 situation will need monitoring - hopefully I'll get blood test results today that will see where I'm at now. Will be interested to see if they offer B12 injection or not. New job starts next week. It's all a bit much to be honest and feeling quite anxious as I don't want to be starting out and having to take time off for Drs appointments.

I've just started monitoring my BG levels - 3 days in - and my fasting level 1st thing has been 8.8, 8.2 and 8.7. That doesn't seem low enough? I've been on Met and Glic for just over 2 weeks. Hopefully it will come down further. My instinct would be to lowcarb but I'm scared to because I'm on Gliclazide and worried about hypos.

It's all early days though. Once I establish the thyroid issue I'll discuss my options with Dr. If I'm strict and lowcarb properly I know I'll lose weight and that will help. I'm actually eating oatcakes or one or two slices of wholemeal bread because I know I'm on medication. If I wasn't on the medication I wouldn't eat them.
 
Belvedere said:
I've just started monitoring my BG levels - 3 days in - and my fasting level 1st thing has been 8.8, 8.2 and 8.7. That doesn't seem low enough? I've been on Met and Glic for just over 2 weeks. Hopefully it will come down further. My instinct would be to lowcarb but I'm scared to because I'm on Gliclazide and worried about hypos.
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Folks often seem to find that their morning readings are the last to come into line. Hopefully yours will gradually descend over the coming weeks and months.
Belvedere said:
It's all early days though. Once I establish the thyroid issue I'll discuss my options with Dr. If I'm strict and lowcarb properly I know I'll lose weight and that will help. I'm actually eating oatcakes or one or two slices of wholemeal bread because I know I'm on medication. If I wasn't on the medication I wouldn't eat them.
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It‘s often very much a case of balancing menu and medications with diabetes. Glic encourages the pancreas to release more insulin so you do have to be aware of balancing your dose with *some* carbohydrate, but it does seem less than ideal to feel that you need to be ‘feeding’ your medication.

Are you on the minimum dose of Gliclazide? Was it prescribed following test results before you started to lower your carb intake?
 
I'm on half an 80mg Gliclazide tablet, so 40mg, a day. I was not on a low carb diet when the bloods were taken that saw my BG at 19.7 and my HbaC1 at 101. Thanks for info on BG readings - I did get a reading of 4.8 later in the day but average 2hr post meal reading is 5.5 so far but it has only been 3 days. Supposed to be picking up more test strips today but it looks like the diabetes nurse forgot to do my prescription on Friday so might not be able to test again till tomorrow.
 
When I was newly diagnosed I had some vision issues I wasn't even really aware of.
I was trying to read the tiny wording on a jar of tiger balm. I couldn't read it, I am 35 so presumed it was time for some specs.
Went for an eye test, got some glasses (fairly mild prescription) anyway, about 4 weeks later into treatment and eating low carb I reach for the tiger balm, to my astonishment I could read it, crystal clear. The glasses aren't much good anymore lol.
 
LilLady said:
When I was newly diagnosed I had some vision issues I wasn't even really aware of.
I was trying to read the tiny wording on a jar of tiger balm. I couldn't read it, I am 35 so presumed it was time for some specs.
Went for an eye test, got some glasses (fairly mild prescription) anyway, about 4 weeks later into treatment and eating low carb I reach for the tiger balm, to my astonishment I could read it, crystal clear. The glasses aren't much good anymore lol.
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I hope you didn't pay lots of money for them, if you told them of your diagnosis they were rather naughty in not advising you of potential eye changes which may have only been temporary.
 
Leadinglights said:
I hope you didn't pay lots of money for them, if you told them of your diagnosis they were rather naughty in not advising you of potential eye changes which may have only been temporary.
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£60, so not the end of the world and I do use them occasionally on my laptop when working, but don't really feel they're a necessity.
 
I have been through similar with my eyes. It's one of the main things that lead to my diagnoses as i went to the optician as my far vision had gone blurry and got worse by the day. I got diagnosed with a Hba1c of 108. I took metformin 2000mg and went low carb and my eyesight changed for the better. I could see further each day and at one point could see further/clearer than i ever had. My near vision then started to be affected. It was a bit like a see saw with my vision for many months and now 14 months on my eyesight seems pretty stable. I managed with cheap reading glasses in varying strengths for this last year until i feel i am settled enough to get prescription glasses if needed. Good luck and i am sure yours will improve if you get your BG levels down within a good range. Just be patient and don't rush it. Good luck.
 
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