Eye screening

[retired builder]

I am pre diabetic and have just had an eye screening check and it has come back that I have background retinopathy has anyone else had this experience

 

[Leadinglights]

I am pre diabetic and have just had an eye screening check and it has come back that I have background retinopathy has anyone else had this experience

Yes I did but the next check one year later it was all clear and not had any issues since. Something quite a few people find.
However the chances are better if your blood glucose is well managed.

 

[Ciara DUK]

Hi @retired builder , welcome to the forum 🙂

Sorry to hear about your recent eye-screening results. As well as the helpful reply from Leadinglights just now, I'm sure other forum members will also contribute to the thread soon to share their experiences with this.

In the meanwhile, you may find it helpful to have a look at our webpage around this - bearing in mind there's quite a lot of information on there. You can take your time with it, and if you have any questions, please do ask away! Link is here - https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/complications/retinopathy

I hope this is helpful for you, please feel free to check back in with any questions and/or updates 🙂

 

[rebrascora]

Yes, I have had a background retinopathy result a couple of years ago but it had resolved itself by the following year. The important thing is to manage your BG levels as well as possible to prevent any risk of deterioration and give it the best chance to repair itself and don't worry. It is very common and most resolve. I liken it to a slight cut or bruise you might get somewhere else on your body. The body has the ability to repair this minor damage if you look after it and mostly you can never tell where it was after a few weeks, but if you keep damaging the same place, the area will scar, so do the best you can to look after your eyes by managing your Blood Glucose (BG) and Blood Pressure (BP) levels as well as you can. If you don't currently monitor either, it might be worth investing in a BP and a BG meter, so that you can keep a check on things and adjust your diet and lifestyle to keep yourself healthy.

 

[retired builder]

Yes I did but the next check one year later it was all clear and not had any issues since. Something quite a few people find.
However the chances are better if your blood glucose is well managed.

Thank you for your reply,since getting the results I have been very careful with my diet and lost weight and getting better blood reults,was good to hear you were clear on your latest screening.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Good to hear about the positive changes you have made, and how that letter has encouraged you to all of those improvements @retired builder - why do they have to make those letters so scary and doom laden!

I‘m another who has had a couple of ’background’ letters over the years, which have given me a bit of a shake, and focussed me on improving my levels. I’m lucky to have gone back to all clear too.

 

[Lucyr]

I am pre diabetic and have just had an eye screening check and it has come back that I have background retinopathy has anyone else had this experience

Yes, most diabetics get background retinopathy at some point