Background Retinopathy Concerns

[Rathbone]

Hi All, I had my Retinal Screening in Jan 2020 and for the first time in 8 years was told I had developed background retinopathy in my left eye. Due to this I was put on the Second Nature programme reducing my carb intake and upping my exercise. I had my HbA1c test in Nov and it had reduce from 46 to 44 so I was really pleased. Also in Nov I had an eye test at the opticians who also checks for retinopathy and he said he could not see anything and that I must have reversed it. I have just had my Retinal Screening done again and the result has come back that I now have it in both eyes. Obviously I am very concerned about this and wondered if anyone else had experienced it and what I might be able to do to stop it progressing further. I have stopped exercising since June due to a knee injury. Many thanks Vikki

 

[grovesy]

I am afraid I can't answer you Eye Question, but wondered what the Second Nature Programme, as in many years on this forum I have not seen it mentioned.

 

[Kaylz]

I don't think there's much more you can do however that doesn't mean it will progress, many have had background for years such as @trophywench and some of us were unlucky enough to head straight to proliferative retinopathy even despite doing everything correct (me) it isn't all down to how you manage things etc and can just be the luck of the draw xx

 

[Becka]

I had "some background retinopathy" at my first screening, nothing at my second, but then back to "some" ever since. After a year of high readings I am a little trepidatious of what it will when I have mine later in the week. Otherwise though it was not something I worried about with everything under control.

I am afraid I can't answer you Eye Question, but wondered what the Second Nature Programme, as in many years on this forum I have not seen it mentioned.

It is this:

How Does it Work? | The Second Nature Programme

Second Nature’s 12 week healthy lifestyle programme helps you to lose weight by changing your diet, activity levels, and behaviours

www.secondnature.io

 

[Rathbone]

I am afraid I can't answer you Eye Question, but wondered what the Second Nature Programme, as in many years on this forum I have not seen it mentioned.

It’s a programme I was put on by my GP although you can pay for it if not referred. They do weekly courses on nutrition, weight loss, sleep, exercise etc and you have a mentor and group members to chat to. You get scales and and a step/exercise counter and there are lots of recipes to try. I found it very good and it has changed my eating habits permanently.

 

[Rathbone]

I don't think there's much more you can do however that doesn't mean it will progress, many have had background for years such as @trophywench and some of us were unlucky enough to head straight to proliferative retinopathy even despite doing everything correct (me) it isn't all down to how you manage things etc and can just be the luck of the draw xx

Thank you for your reply, how frustrating if you are doing everything right for that to happen. It’s reassuring to know that it might not be anything I am doing wrong causing it as I was so shocked when I got the result xx

 

[Rathbone]

I had "some background retinopathy" at my first screening, nothing at my second, but then back to "some" ever since. After a year of high readings I am a little trepidatious of what it will when I have mine later in the week. Otherwise though it was not something I worried about with everything under control.



It is this:

How Does it Work? | The Second Nature Programme

Second Nature’s 12 week healthy lifestyle programme helps you to lose weight by changing your diet, activity levels, and behaviours

www.secondnature.io

Thank you for your reply, I am such a worrier but I know I have my diabetes under control so hopefully it won’t progress.

 

[grovesy]

Thanks it seems to be a general programme for well being. I did wonder whether it was a spefic one related to eye health.

 

[Kaylz]

Thank you for your reply, how frustrating if you are doing everything right for that to happen. It’s reassuring to know that it might not be anything I am doing wrong causing it as I was so shocked when I got the result xx

It wasn't my first eye related complication either, that came only less than a month after my diagnosis, I've been very unfortunate where my eyes are concerned and had had numerous eye injections to both eyes and lasering to both less than 2 years in so.... yes it is rather frustrating lol xx

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear about your ‘backgrounds’ @Rathbone

I have had a few of those letters over the years, but have currently been marked as ‘all clear’. I find the letters extremely badly worded, and very alarming (especially as it’s something most people with diabetes are already quite worried about.

As @Kaylz says, all you can do is try to manage your diabetes as best you can with as little glucose variation and instability and as much time in range as you can manage. Plus keep your blood pressure in a happy place. Those are known to reduce your chances of any retinopathy developing or worsening - but it’s about chances, not certainty. And diabetes is sometimes very unfair, no matter how hard someone tries.

Apart from that it’s down to luck.

Let us know how you get on, and try not to worry. Background is usually quite a few stages away from needing laser surgery or other treatment, and the outcomes for treatments get better all the time. 🙂

 

[trophywench]

You have to always bear in mind that no optician prescribing spectacles etc and/or dispensing them, normally uses eye drops to dilate your pupils to be able to see the very back of your retinas 'clear as day' whereas retinopathy photos are ALL checked by two highly trained Opthalmologists every time.

As I informed the optician in Asda when she tested my eyes last year and said she was very sorry to tell me I had signs of background changes ... You know the bigger clot in the one eye? Well, it's been there since 1995-ish, well before I had my cataracts done and the other eye joined the party about 11 years ago so it's not upsetting, thanks.

Had my proper photos done again a few weeks ago - and the letter following that said I've still got background retinopathy, see you again in 12 months time. Of course it caused concern to begin with, but just relief really now, when it still doesn't concern THEM.

 

[Becka]

Had my eye screening this morning. I was a wee bit concerned after a year of readings almost permanently in double digits, but the technician said everything looked okay. Obviously pending the more detailed review, but reassuring there was nothin obvious. The experience has left me more concerned about my eye sight in general, though.

It is a bit of a mess anyway, I was already long overdue an opticians appointment, then wanted to wait until my glucose levels were under control. There has also been this global pandemic taking place where I live which has been a tad disruptive. But there is no point getting a new prescription only for my eyes to change again. So all of that cannot have been doing my eye health any good.

Since I have returned home from the appointment my vision is slightly blurred, and the computer has been displaying a purple fringe on high contrast edges with black text appearing as a dark blue-gray. The former is a common issue on cheaper or smaller camera lenses caused by different colours of light not focusing on the exact same point. A problem which is worse with shorter wavelengths, i.e. violet light.

Does this happen to other people? Is it the drops? It has never happened to me before. Normally I just have the big pupils for a while, but otherwise my eyes work as normal.

One other thing which bothered me was when having to read the eye chart before the drops, everything was blurry through my left eye. I had to have the window covered in holes to be able to focus on anything. That was also a new experience.

 

[grovesy]

My vision is always blurry for 4-6 hours after the drops for Retinal Screening.
The last few years I have been given a leaflet following screening, of what to do if you think you have problems following the drops.

 

[trophywench]

I had a really blurry left eye with the eye chart immediately before my photos the other week too. So there I was with the holey bit of plastic too. This did concern me because the only time before I've ever encountered the thing with the holes in was when involved in my cataract treatment so having already had both of them replaced with new lenses I had a bit of an internal OMG. Furthermore - I also had the coloured 'halo' thingy too for the first time ever and blurry eyes for far longer. How very weird.

1. Wonder if they've changed the recipe of the drops?

2. On Googling the holey thing - turns out it merely encourages eyes to focus better and that is ALL it does! Phew .....

 

[Becka]

That seems reassuring that it is not just me, so probably just the drops. I am seeing better now.

The technician did explain the purpose of the holes, though not why I suddenly needed it. I am short-sighted but have needed varifocals for a while to be able to read with glasses on, so it made me wonder if it is my eyes being slow to refocus. As I am right-eye dominant my left would have been letting it lead.

At least with my glucose under control I will finally get to make an optician appointment in a few months, assuming they do not have a big waiting list.

 

[grovesy]

My friend felt the opticians in our Town Centre was well organised when she went a few months ago. They were limiting the number of people in strictly.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I always think of those holey things as just a really effective squint.

Glad your eyes seem to be returning to normal @Becka

 

[Becka]

I thought opticians were closed for routine checks during the lockdown, but I have not paid much attention to the outside world as it means little to me while shielding. I believe that weather is still happening too? That is good news about opticians though, as they may not have such a backlog of appointments after all once I fully re-emerge into the world.

 

[stillgoing]

Had my eyes photo last week. i was so wide eyed they said they would try without drops. No problem so I got to drive home🙂

 

[grovesy]

I thought opticians were closed for routine checks during the lockdown, but I have not paid much attention to the outside world as it means little to me while shielding. I believe that weather is still happening too? That is good news about opticians though, as they may not have such a backlog of appointments after all once I fully re-emerge into the world.

It might have been between lockdowns now I think of it but some medical type places that were closed in first lockdown are keeping open now they have Covid precautions in place.