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Blurred eyes

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Hele242329

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hello any advice would be greatly appreciated. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 10 days ago and have been on metmorfin first week 2 a day then increased to 3 a day. My eyesight has become so blurry since that I have to put glasses on whereby I did not need to before diagnosis. I called the doctor and he said to stop the medication for a few days to see if blurry eyes improve. Has anyone else experienced this and does stopping the medication help. Thanks
 
Do you test your BG at home? Blurry vision can be caused when BG is getting back into normal ranges because high BG levels alter the shape of the eyes and the blurriness can be them readjusting xx
 
My eyesight was so bad I just could not see much at all so made the mistake of getting new glasses a month later on Metformin my eye were back to normal so glasses have been in draw since.
 
I am testing everyday before lunch and dinner. The doctor told me to stop taking metmorfin for a couple of days to see if blurriness goes but not sure if this is a good idea as my sugar levels will go up
 
It is probably just because your BG is coming down, it's a very common issue but if you feel any changes please do get your eyes checked out, people will say it's normal it will settle and for the majority that is the case however I speak from experience and being one of the unlucky ones it isn't always the case xx
 
Hi Hele242329, welcome to the forum.

Blurry vision is common with diabetes and is often the first signs people notice which prompts an investigation. I had blurry eyes for 3 months after diagnosis as my blood sugar levels settled. Medication made no difference as such as that wasn't the cause.

I'd go and get a full diabetic eye screening if you haven't done so already so they can make sure your eyes are healthy but just readjusting. I believe Specsavers do a more detailed one than your average optician once you mention being diabetic and your GP can refer you to your local eye clinic who can do an annual super in depth check on your eyes.
 
I was not on metformin but reduced my carbohydrates significantly and my blood glucose came down relatively quickly and my near vision was affected, it has taken 7 months to get back to anything like normal, It felt more like my eyes were in different heads, I couldn't quite focus on things rather than them being blurry.
 
I have reduced my diet to low carb and low sugar I wondered if I done this too quickly and with the medication. Don’t know how to restore the blurry vision
 
Hele242329 said:
I have reduced my diet to low carb and low sugar I wondered if I done this too quickly and with the medication. Don’t know how to restore the blurry vision
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I don't know if you can in the short term. Some people try a cheap pair of reading glasses but I didn't. I was unaware that it was something that might happen and it was only when I read on here that I found out of course by that time it was too late, but at least I did not rush out buying new glasses as my prescription costs an arm and a leg.
 
If I came off the medication as the doctor said to will this improve anyone had this experience
 
Hele242329 said:
If I came off the medication as the doctor said to will this improve anyone had this experience
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You wont know until you try but it's early days on meds I would personally give it time but inform your health care team this is what you are doing I can't see why stopping the meds is going to help but again ask a Nurse or GP.
 
Hi and welcome from me too

It is a sudden and dramatic change in your BG (Blood Glucose) levels which is likely causing this, so whilst the medication is helping with those changes, it has a minimal impact compared to changing your diet, so I would say that stopping the medication is unlikely to make a difference to your sight, but I would suggest that not being so drastic with your carb reduction will be kinder to your body and eyes in particular and help your body to adjust more slowly back down to normal levels. It is of course up to you if you want to try stopping the Metformin but restarting it again may lead to more gastric upset if you have already experienced a bit of that.

It is not a good idea to get a new pair of prescription glasses at this stage and if they are advised of your recent diabetes diagnosis, most opticians should refuse to offer a new prescription as they will almost certainly be useless in a few weeks/months. A cheap pair of "pound shop" reading glasses or a magnifying glass will help you manage in the mean time but do ask your GP about being referred for retinal screening which is one of the many regular health care checks we get as diabetics. In the current climate these services are a bit behind schedule with appointments but they should be prioritizing newly diagnosed diabetics and those long term diabetics who have history of problems.

What you are experiencing is quite common in early diagnosis and should resolve in a few weeks or months but try to be a little less strict with your dietary changes and make the carb reduction more gradual.
 
Hope your eyes begin to settle soon @Hele242329

It is often a fairly short-lived phase following a diagnosis, and isn’t caused by the medication itself as much as the changes in BG levels.

But as others have said, do book an appointment with your optician for an eye check-up if you are concerned.

Welcome to the forum 🙂
 
My understanding is that the blurry eyes is due to the change in your tears.
When our blood sugars are high, our body does its best to get rid of the excess sugar. This is why we wee a lot and why diabetes can sometimes be picked up by the dent (excess sugar in saliva causing tooth decay).
The excess sugar ends up in our tears. When diabetes comes on slowly, as it usually does with type 2, our eyes adjust to the sugary tears which have a different focal length to salty tears.
Then we start to bring our levels down and our eyes need to adjust again to salty tears. Whilst they are adjusting, they struggle to focus properly and things appear blurred.

One thing you will soon become fed up with being told is that we are all different. So when you ask how long will the blurriness last, the answer is "as long as it last". For some it is weeks and for some it is months.

Hope it is not too long for you and normality is resumed soon.
But not too fast because that too can cause problems.
 
helli said:
My understanding is that the blurry eyes is due to the change in your tears.
When our blood sugars are high, our body does its best to get rid of the excess sugar. This is why we wee a lot and why diabetes can sometimes be picked up by the dent (excess sugar in saliva causing tooth decay).
The excess sugar ends up in our tears. When diabetes comes on slowly, as it usually does with type 2, our eyes adjust to the sugary tears which have a different focal length to salty tears.
Then we start to bring our levels down and our eyes need to adjust again to salty tears. Whilst they are adjusting, they struggle to focus properly and things appear blurred.

One thing you will soon become fed up with being told is that we are all different. So when you ask how long will the blurriness last, the answer is "as long as it last". For some it is weeks and for some it is months.

Hope it is not too long for you and normality is resumed soon.
But not too fast because that too can cause problems.
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The thing I was not sure about is once it has happened, does increasing carbs a bit help the vision get back to normal more quickly. **
 
The eye lens actually swells with high BG so it will take time to settle, as already said don't do what I did and spend £160 on new glasses then the next week find your T2 get meds change diet and put glasses in draw.
 
Maca44 said:
The eye lens actually swells with high BG so it will take time to settle, as already said don't do what I did and spend £160 on new glasses then the next week find your T2 get meds change diet and put glasses in draw.
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I most definitely didn't do that as my last pair of glasses was over £600.
 
Wow solid gold :D
 
Leadinglights said:
Ultra thin, varifocal, reaction lenses, frameless frames. Never quite see why no frame costs more than frames.
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Same with convertable cars, no roof but cost more :D
 
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