First sign of Retinopathy??

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bigbob

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I noticed yesterday - at 40 years old, If I close my left eye, and try and read with my right eye, a grey sport is in a fixed position always a few characters ahead in the word I try to read. If I blink, I can see the shape of the spot.

So it's not a floater, it's a small oval shape that i've never noticed before in my life - so either I've just noticed it for the first time, or has diabetes has started to catch up with me.

I went for my eye screening last week - waiting for the results, would the test pick this spot up? Or could It have formed since the test? As I cannot honestly say I saw it when I did the eye exam (Reading distance with each eye).
 
Thanks John - I’ve never seen that before, but it does let me show exactly the issue - I see this. With my right eye, that line is gone. The rest of the grid is clear and straight.
 

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Sorry to hear you’ve got something odd happening with your eyes @bigbob

It might be worth booking an appointment with an optician to ask their advice, and get it checked out?

The diabetes retinopathy screening service is looking for quite particular changes in the back of the eye, I think, so may not pick up other conditions or changes to your vision. The sort of ‘background changes’ the screening service are looking for don’t generally involve any noticeable changes in vision in the early stages
 
Possibly sign of AMD? But most important, get it checked out: eye hospital, optician, GP, whichever can see you soonest, don't dither about it, eyes are so precious, it may be nothing significant at all but best to get it checked asap. None of us can give you that reassurance on here.
 
It’s possibly a vitreous problem. But as you’re only 40 maybe not. I had similar symptoms and went to my opticians who diagnosed vitreous detachment, it’s an aging thing, I’m in my early 60s. It’s not serious just annoying! First port of call I would suggest is an optician they can then refer you to the eye clinic if needed. Good luck.
 
As @everydayupsanddowns says, I would also book an optician appointment with someone who alleges they have an interest in diabetic eye conditions, if you can find one in your locale.
 
eggyg said:
It’s possibly a vitreous problem. But as you’re only 40 maybe not. I had similar symptoms and went to my opticians who diagnosed vitreous detachment, it’s an aging thing, I’m in my early 60s. It’s not serious just annoying! First port of call I would suggest is an optician they can then refer you to the eye clinic if needed. Good luck.
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Ooops didn't check age - so AMD probably unlikely also. But still get to optician asap.
 
I just had an eye test to get some new glasses and they ran a whole load of tests including a scan showing the layers of the retina. (Cost 5 pounds for the extra test.) plus the usual tests. It's different to the diabetic retinal scan, I believe, which is looking at minute details of blood vessels.
 
Hi @bigbob

As said above get it checked at your optician for advice & hopefully peace of mind

Retinopathy is silent until it has progressed sufficiently for new fragile vessels to grow & potentially bleed in the retina causing areas of obscured vision. From my experience of proliferative retinopathy large patches of vision are rapidly obscured. Often you see the bleed happening & then have blood trapped in your eyeball jelly. Retinal screening is vital to monitor any microscopic changes & intervene with further checks & treatment if necessary to prevent sight damage

I hope you can get reassurance & an explanation.
 
harbottle said:
I just had an eye test to get some new glasses and they ran a whole load of tests including a scan showing the layers of the retina. (Cost 5 pounds for the extra test.) plus the usual tests. It's different to the diabetic retinal scan, I believe, which is looking at minute details of blood vessels.
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I think the test to which you refer is called OCT - Optical Coherence Tomography.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys - I took your advice and got an appointment with specsavers.

The optician was great - he explained it’s an age related thing, where the jelly is coming away from my eye. Over next few months it will completely come away, and then the problem should be gone. It could even go any time, it’s just it’s in my field of view, a lot of people do not even notice it.

I’ve just got to keep an eye out incase when the jelly comes away, it does not tear my retina.

A big relief for me - but a real warning that I need to get my diabetes under control so next time it’s caused by diabetes.

Thanks again.
 
Glad you got it checked out. @eggyg was right then - vitreous detachment, though surprising in someone as young. When I had it, I thought a huge spider was hanging from my hair, had to look in a mirror before I believed there was nothing there!
 
silentsquirrel said:
Glad you got it checked out. @eggyg was right then - vitreous detachment, though surprising in someone as young. When I had it, I thought a huge spider was hanging from my hair, had to look in a mirror before I believed there was nothing there!
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Exactly the same, I thought spiders were dangling over my face. The optician reassured me it was just floaters and the brain learns to ignore them but pretty annoying at the time.
He told me to look out for retinal detachment but he thought it unlikely to happen.
 
bigbob said:
Thanks for all the replies guys - I took your advice and got an appointment with specsavers.

The optician was great - he explained it’s an age related thing, where the jelly is coming away from my eye. Over next few months it will completely come away, and then the problem should be gone. It could even go any time, it’s just it’s in my field of view, a lot of people do not even notice it.

I’ve just got to keep an eye out incase when the jelly comes away, it does not tear my retina.

A big relief for me - but a real warning that I need to get my diabetes under control so next time it’s caused by diabetes.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Oh, my wife has this, and has been told the same thing.
 
bigbob said:
Thanks for all the replies guys - I took your advice and got an appointment with specsavers.

The optician was great - he explained it’s an age related thing, where the jelly is coming away from my eye. Over next few months it will completely come away, and then the problem should be gone. It could even go any time, it’s just it’s in my field of view, a lot of people do not even notice it.

I’ve just got to keep an eye out incase when the jelly comes away, it does not tear my retina.

A big relief for me - but a real warning that I need to get my diabetes under control so next time it’s caused by diabetes.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Ooh I should be a doctor! 😛 I just thought it sounded just like what I had. As I said, not serious but quite annoying at times especially on bright days. Wear good sunglasses is my advice.
 
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