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Annual eye check - Bad news

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Alloneword

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
My first post here so hi everyone :D

Just had my annual eye check done last week and was given some rather bad news and that was, and looking at lady's screen showed the darker bit in the middle (being the retina) and very close to it was a white dot (i'm not a doctor if you can't guess) which if i don't control my sugar levels better then i will loose the sight in that eye. 😱

So I was wondering has anybody else had the same experience, and did things get better for you or not, if not how long did it take you to loose the sight in that eye.

All1
 
Hi Alloneword and welcome to the forums....clever nickname by the way!

I'm sorry to hear your bad news and I'm afraid I don't know much about eye problems, but I'm sure someone who does will be along soon, and that they will be able to advise you. In the meantime have a nose around for some tips on lowering your levels a bit. There's a wealth of wisdom and knowledge on here. Take care. XXXXX
 
I can't answer your question, as a lot may depend on exactly what has gone wrong. Just want to send some good thoughts from one newbie here to another (my 16YO son was diagnosed Type 1 this week).
 
Alloneword said:
My first post here so hi everyone :D

Just had my annual eye check done last week and was given some rather bad news and that was, and looking at lady's screen showed the darker bit in the middle (being the retina) and very close to it was a white dot (i'm not a doctor if you can't guess) which if i don't control my sugar levels better then i will loose the sight in that eye. 😱

So I was wondering has anybody else had the same experience, and did things get better for you or not, if not how long did it take you to loose the sight in that eye.

All1
Click to expand...

Hi All1, welcome to the forum. What was the diagnosis you were given? Often people are diagnosed with background retinopathy but this may not be a reason for concern as it can improve with good diabetes management. How long have you been diagnosed, and have you had similar warnings in the past?
 
Welcome Alloneworld

The advice usually given if signs of diabetic retinopathy are detected is to gradually bring blood glucose levels closer to the target range of 4 - 7mmol/l before meals and under 8.5mmol/l two hours after meals. If damage is noticed at an early enough stage, which is why we have anual screening, and action is taken, mainly self management of blood glucose levels, then further treatment such a laser surgery is not always needed.

In case you want to indentify and name your "white dot", you could look at the diagrams on this webpage. http://www.99main.com/~charlief/Blindness.htm
 
Hi there sorry to hear of your news,welcome to the forum x
 
Hi There Alloneword,

Don't panic just yet, it could be something as simple as getting your blood glucose levels down to a manageable level. You've been offered very good advice and we're all here to help each other.

Welcome to the forum.

Donna 🙂
 
Hi, sorry to hear of your concerns. Once the eye pics have been examined in depth, you will get the results and hopefully it is nothing to worry about or it is treatable and you will be give advice.
 
Thanks for the warm welcome everyone.

I was diagnosed about 18 months ago, went for annual eye test 12 months ago, was not given drops (heard they hurt like hell so wore my sunglasses all the time) as my pupils were big enough and everything was fine but this time i was not so lucky :(

To be honest i had no idea what the woman said to me as i was in shock, i'm always the glass is half empty type of guy, all i heard was you could go blind.

She did say it was reversible is my sugar levels were controlled, well to be honest that has been hard, I have not been able to use the normal metformin and some bad side effects, i was put of on rosiglitazone (A.K.A. Avandia) but this is now banned and Gliclazide, after rosiglitazone was banned i was put on 2 x 500mg of metformine but this time slow release, but this is still not working, so i'm going on some kind of new medication that needs to be injected once a day, it's not the same as type 1 people take (insulin) but won't be starting that till 14th June.

As for target be 4-7 then i've never had that for example this morning i was 19 😱

I am scared there is no doubt about that, but as i say i'm always glass is half empty type of guy.


All1
 
Don't dispair. There are lots of good folk here who will offer support and ideas for getting those readings down. I do think those with Type 2 get the short straw: you seem to have a lot more trouble than those with Type 1. As an observer (hubby's been Type 1 for 16 years, the GMNT was diagnosed Type 1 last week), all I can offer is encouragement and good vibes for getting some control.
 
I was in a similar situation re BG levels earlier this year. After really good control almost all the time since diagnosis in 2003 I was suddenly getting reading in the high 20's and nothing seemed to work. I'd been on 2 x 500mg Metformin since diagnosis but soon found I couldn't tolerate a higher dose. I was prescribed Gliclazide but it didn't work. After a bit of a fight with my GP I started Byetta injections in April and it's working great. Most of my readings are now on target. I just need to get my fasting down a bit. Byetta is injected twice per day so I'm guessing you'll be starting on Victoza as that is injected just once per day.

If I was you I'd try to have a chat with your doc or diabetes nurse to put your mind at rest about the results of your eye test. As you've been told your condition is reversible it does sound promising that it's not too bad. Good luck with the Victoza! XXXXX
 
The injection sounds like either Byetta (Exanatide) or Victoza. I was initially diagnosed as Type 2 and given first Metformin then Glucophage, both of which made me extremely ill. I can't tolerate them in any form. My diagnosis has been changed to LADA/1.5 (slow onset Type 1). I'm currently on two injections of Byetta every day plus Gliclazide if I need it and doing very well. So well in fact they're not going to put me on insulin because it seems I have more pancreatic function left than was thought and don't currently need it. The reaction to Metformin/Glucophage was masking this apparently.

Your problems with the pills aren't that unusual and you shouldn't despair. The injections might well work where the pills didn't, but even if they don't there are still other options, including insulin. If it's background retinopathy then, once you find a regime that works for you, things should improve.

Welcome in.
 
To be honest i'm not sure what the medication is called, all i know is GP had to get the OK to use it it's new and expensive, my appt to start on it is on the 14th so i'll post back when i have the info and my results on it just in case others are intrested.


All1
 
Alloneword said:
To be honest i'm not sure what the medication is called, all i know is GP had to get the OK to use it it's new and expensive, my appt to start on it is on the 14th so i'll post back when i have the info and my results on it just in case others are intrested.


All1
Click to expand...

It does sound like Victoza in that case. We have members here who have had good success with it, so hopefully you will get it and it will work well for you too 🙂 You should be able to ask your GP about the full details of your retinopathy scan, so he/she should be able to put your mind at rest. There is an awfully long way to go from background retinopathy to threatening your sight, and there are many treatments available. You will be monitored closely so that any problems can be dealt with quickly 🙂 Hope things go well at your appointment, do let us know how you get on!
 
Well got my appt letter today and the med in question is "Exenatide" will update when i'm on it.

All1
 
Alloneword said:
Well got my appt letter today and the med in question is "Exenatide" will update when i'm on it.

All1
Click to expand...

That's what I'm on All1 and it's working well for me. Good luck.
 
Alloneword said:
Well got my appt letter today and the med in question is "Exenatide" will update when i'm on it.

All1
Click to expand...

That's Byetta and what I've been on for the last couple of months. It can cause gastrointestinal problems pretty similar to Metformin but I've had no side effects at all. 🙂 On the plus side it can help weight loss, but that's not happened with me either. I have got my levels right back on target now though which is the main thing. XXXXX
 
Alloneword said:
My first post here so hi everyone :D

Just had my annual eye check done last week and was given some rather bad news and that was, and looking at lady's screen showed the darker bit in the middle (being the retina) and very close to it was a white dot (i'm not a doctor if you can't guess) which if i don't control my sugar levels better then i will loose the sight in that eye. 😱

So I was wondering has anybody else had the same experience, and did things get better for you or not, if not how long did it take you to loose the sight in that eye.

All1
Click to expand...

That's a shock and a half for you. Sorry to hear about your eyes. My eyes over the past 21 years have been resonably okay, no big scares. Maybe it's just the luck of the draw, my bad luck, at the moment, is my gums and bones, things are not good in my mouth:(
I hope you get some constructive help with lowering your sugar levels. It may take a little while but it would be a good step in the right direction. Take care Sheena x
 
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