minimoo021
New Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Really struggling, already wear glasses but am finding it hard to read anything. Do i make an appointment with my optician or tell my GP?
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Hi everyone hope there's someone on here that can point me in the right direction with my eyes and type 2.
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Gwynn
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
I too struggle with my eyes. They have got worse and worse...
The route to take is to go to your optician. If necessary they will refer you on to NHS specialists.
I was found to be suffering from cataracts and now have the first surgery, on the left eye, early in December.
I hope that helps.
The route to take is to go to your optician. If necessary they will refer you on to NHS specialists.
I was found to be suffering from cataracts and now have the first surgery, on the left eye, early in December.
I hope that helps.
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi and welcome.
How long have you been diagnosed and are you on any medication for it? Do you know your HbA1c result.... that is the blood test used to diagnose diabetes and is usually a number of 48 or more mmols/mol.
It is very common for eyesight to become blurry before or just after diagnosis and can take several weeks or months to settle down. It is because the vitreous tissue of the eye lens absorbs glucose from the body when Blood glucose levels are high and it changes the shape of it and the focal length. If this happens slowly over a long period of time, your body adjusts, but if it happens suddenly or conversely, you start taking medication or changing your diet to reduce your levels the eyes struggle to adjust to that sudden change.
The general advice is to purchase a pair of ready readers from a pound shop to tide you over until your levels stabilize and then arrange an opticians appointment otherwise you can end up paying a fortune for a pair of glasses which are useless to you in 2-3 months time.
How long have you been diagnosed and are you on any medication for it? Do you know your HbA1c result.... that is the blood test used to diagnose diabetes and is usually a number of 48 or more mmols/mol.
It is very common for eyesight to become blurry before or just after diagnosis and can take several weeks or months to settle down. It is because the vitreous tissue of the eye lens absorbs glucose from the body when Blood glucose levels are high and it changes the shape of it and the focal length. If this happens slowly over a long period of time, your body adjusts, but if it happens suddenly or conversely, you start taking medication or changing your diet to reduce your levels the eyes struggle to adjust to that sudden change.
The general advice is to purchase a pair of ready readers from a pound shop to tide you over until your levels stabilize and then arrange an opticians appointment otherwise you can end up paying a fortune for a pair of glasses which are useless to you in 2-3 months time.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @minimoo021
Sorry to hear about the changes you’ve observed with your eyes.
Yes these can sometimes be related to your blood glucose levels, but there are lots of other causes too, so getting an appointment with your GP to get an updated HbA1c check would be worthwhile.
If that hasn’t changed, then your optician would be a good bet.
Do you check your levels at home with a BG meter, or rely on your checks at the surgery?
Hope things resolve for you swiftly if the blurriness is BG related.
Sorry to hear about the changes you’ve observed with your eyes.
Yes these can sometimes be related to your blood glucose levels, but there are lots of other causes too, so getting an appointment with your GP to get an updated HbA1c check would be worthwhile.
If that hasn’t changed, then your optician would be a good bet.
Do you check your levels at home with a BG meter, or rely on your checks at the surgery?
Hope things resolve for you swiftly if the blurriness is BG related.
minimoo021
New Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi only just been diagnosed and at a lose as to what I am supposed to be doing, my GP has said my levels ar above 65 whatever that means, not long had a spell in hospital for a completely different thing but took my blood sugar whist in there and it was 23.8. I have been doing it since home and mainly 14. i really don't know what I am doing.
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
OK. Well, the good news is that you have come to the right place to help you with what to do.....
The high Blood Glucose (BG) levels will almost certainly be the cause of your sight issues and should resolve.
What medication have you been given for the diabetes?
Your reading of above 65 will most likely be your HbA1c result. It would be interesting to know the exact number as to how far over 65..... that seems a very odd way of expressing it.
Basically diabetes means that your Blood Glucose (BG) levels are too high. This is because your body has become inefficient at transferring that glucose into the cells of your body where it is used for energy and also if there is surplus, stored as fat. Usually with Type 2 diabetes this is because your body has become resistant to the insulin you produce which opens the doors to the cells to allow the glucose in. It may be that your cells are saying they have more than enough stores and don't want anymore or that you have built up a pad of visceral fat around your liver and pancreas which is stopping them from communicating with each other effectively. These two organs are the main ones in regulating BG levels because the pancreas produces insulin and the liver releases glucose. The vast majority of blood glucose though comes from your food and this is where you can really do something to help your body....
There are studies which show that a very low CALORIE diet for a short spell of 2-3 months can reduce that fat and help to restore the balance, so that your body can go back to functioning normally again but the weight loss needs to be maintained or the fat will build back up and the problem reoccur.
Another option and one which many people find easier is to reduce the amount of CARBOHYDRATES you eat. This is the obvious sweet stuff likes cakes and biscuits and sweets etc but also the starchy carbs made from grain and grain products like flour..... So bread, pasta, rice, couscous, breakfast cereals, pastry and batter as well as starchy veg like potatoes in all it's forms and even reducing portions of fruit and avoiding the high carb exotic fruits like bananas and mangoes and grapes can be full of sugar and sticking mostly to berries like raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackcurrants etc. The more tart fruits where a small portion packs a big punch both flavour and nutrient wise but you are unlikely to want to eat too many. Many of us have some berries on a morning with some full fat Greek style natural yoghurt with some chopped nuts and mixed seeds as our breakfast instead of carb rich foods like toast or breakfast cereals or even porridge although some people can get away with a small portion of porridge, but reducing portion size is really important with those carb rich foods.
Increasing your activity levels with a daily walk can also be really helpful as that burns up the stores in the big muscles in your legs and the cells are then keen to take some more from the blood so if you incorporate this with dietary changes, you have less glucose going into your blood and the cells more keen to suck glucose out of your blood which can have a very significant impact on reducing your levels. Some of us find that we enjoy our low carb diet so much and enjoy being slimmer and feeling healthier because our BG levels are lower that we wouldn't want to go back to the way we ate before. I know my diagnosis was the kick up the pants that I needed to sort out my poor relationship with food and my excess weight and I feel so much better for it.
Anyway, that's the basics of it. Of course medication comes into it too if your levels are particularly high, but the surprising thing is that dietary changes often have a significantly more powerful effect on reducing your levels than most medication, so well worth trying that avenue first. There are plenty of inspirational people here on the forum who have dropped their HbA1c from 3 figures down into the normal range through these approaches and feel fitter and younger and healthier and usually lighter for it.... so lots of potential positives to come out of it once you learn what to do.....
.... but it is totally normal to feel very overwhelmed at first so give yourself time to take it in and start making small changes.
The high Blood Glucose (BG) levels will almost certainly be the cause of your sight issues and should resolve.
What medication have you been given for the diabetes?
Your reading of above 65 will most likely be your HbA1c result. It would be interesting to know the exact number as to how far over 65..... that seems a very odd way of expressing it.
Basically diabetes means that your Blood Glucose (BG) levels are too high. This is because your body has become inefficient at transferring that glucose into the cells of your body where it is used for energy and also if there is surplus, stored as fat. Usually with Type 2 diabetes this is because your body has become resistant to the insulin you produce which opens the doors to the cells to allow the glucose in. It may be that your cells are saying they have more than enough stores and don't want anymore or that you have built up a pad of visceral fat around your liver and pancreas which is stopping them from communicating with each other effectively. These two organs are the main ones in regulating BG levels because the pancreas produces insulin and the liver releases glucose. The vast majority of blood glucose though comes from your food and this is where you can really do something to help your body....
There are studies which show that a very low CALORIE diet for a short spell of 2-3 months can reduce that fat and help to restore the balance, so that your body can go back to functioning normally again but the weight loss needs to be maintained or the fat will build back up and the problem reoccur.
Another option and one which many people find easier is to reduce the amount of CARBOHYDRATES you eat. This is the obvious sweet stuff likes cakes and biscuits and sweets etc but also the starchy carbs made from grain and grain products like flour..... So bread, pasta, rice, couscous, breakfast cereals, pastry and batter as well as starchy veg like potatoes in all it's forms and even reducing portions of fruit and avoiding the high carb exotic fruits like bananas and mangoes and grapes can be full of sugar and sticking mostly to berries like raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackcurrants etc. The more tart fruits where a small portion packs a big punch both flavour and nutrient wise but you are unlikely to want to eat too many. Many of us have some berries on a morning with some full fat Greek style natural yoghurt with some chopped nuts and mixed seeds as our breakfast instead of carb rich foods like toast or breakfast cereals or even porridge although some people can get away with a small portion of porridge, but reducing portion size is really important with those carb rich foods.
Increasing your activity levels with a daily walk can also be really helpful as that burns up the stores in the big muscles in your legs and the cells are then keen to take some more from the blood so if you incorporate this with dietary changes, you have less glucose going into your blood and the cells more keen to suck glucose out of your blood which can have a very significant impact on reducing your levels. Some of us find that we enjoy our low carb diet so much and enjoy being slimmer and feeling healthier because our BG levels are lower that we wouldn't want to go back to the way we ate before. I know my diagnosis was the kick up the pants that I needed to sort out my poor relationship with food and my excess weight and I feel so much better for it.
Anyway, that's the basics of it. Of course medication comes into it too if your levels are particularly high, but the surprising thing is that dietary changes often have a significantly more powerful effect on reducing your levels than most medication, so well worth trying that avenue first. There are plenty of inspirational people here on the forum who have dropped their HbA1c from 3 figures down into the normal range through these approaches and feel fitter and younger and healthier and usually lighter for it.... so lots of potential positives to come out of it once you learn what to do.....
.... but it is totally normal to feel very overwhelmed at first so give yourself time to take it in and start making small changes.
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