Went for my eye test last week and got a letter today saying I have the above.It said,i do not need treatment at this time and this level of change does not affect my eyesight.Really panicking now,how long does this sort of thing take to develop into total blindness and is this inevitable.Can it be contained at this stage and not develop further if I look after my diet.My diabetes is poorly controlled mainly through my own fault.This has hit me like a bolt out of the blue.My last 3 HBA1C;s have all been 80.Anyone here been living with this sort of thing.I really need more information.I'm type 2 for 16 years.
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Been Diagnosed With Diabetic Retinopathy:Really Panicking
- Thread starter Jon
- Start date
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Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi Jon, welcome to the forum 🙂 If the letter says 'no treatment' then you don't need to worry, you just need to do your best to get your levels under good control - the letter is often criticised for causing unnecessary alarm 
The very early stage (known as 'background retinopathy') can actually come and go, so if you can manage to gain good control then there is the possibility that it will have disappeared by the time of your next scan, or possibly have remained stable (it can be stable for many years) 🙂 In any event, there are many, many stages and treatments that you would need to go through before it affects your sight.
So, the key thing is to be vigilant, become a 'good' diabetic and hopefully you will get a good result next time around 🙂
Are you on any medication for your diabetes? I would recommend starting afresh and looking to the future - re-educate yourself about diabetes and proceed as though you are newly diagnosed - put the past behind you. Have a read of Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter and get yourself a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker. Do you test your levels with a home meter? If not, then it's worth starting - have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand why and how 🙂 If you need to get a meter, then the cheapest option we have come across is theSD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50.
Let us know if you have any questions and we will do our best to help you get things under control 🙂
The very early stage (known as 'background retinopathy') can actually come and go, so if you can manage to gain good control then there is the possibility that it will have disappeared by the time of your next scan, or possibly have remained stable (it can be stable for many years) 🙂 In any event, there are many, many stages and treatments that you would need to go through before it affects your sight. So, the key thing is to be vigilant, become a 'good' diabetic and hopefully you will get a good result next time around 🙂
Are you on any medication for your diabetes? I would recommend starting afresh and looking to the future - re-educate yourself about diabetes and proceed as though you are newly diagnosed - put the past behind you. Have a read of Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter and get yourself a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker. Do you test your levels with a home meter? If not, then it's worth starting - have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand why and how 🙂 If you need to get a meter, then the cheapest option we have come across is theSD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50.
Let us know if you have any questions and we will do our best to help you get things under control 🙂
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