My Eye Screeing Shows SOME Signs Of Diabetic Retinopathy.......whats the treatment ?

T

Taffyboyslim

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Letter says they will see me again at next scheduled test .....1 year I assume?

Is it just a case of striving really hard to get these glucose levels down between medication for sugars and cholesterol , sensible eating and weight loss?

Thank guys
 
Taffyboyslim said:
Letter says they will see me again at next scheduled test .....1 year I assume?

Is it just a case of striving really hard to get these glucose levels down between medication for sugars and cholesterol , sensible eating and weight loss?

Thank guys
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I had the dreaded letter last time as well. I think it’s just a case of making sure you do the best you can with control. Some people on here have been having the letter for years, and it hasn’t progressed, in some cases it’s even gone away again.
 
Robin said:
I had the dreaded letter last time as well. I think it’s just a case of making sure you do the best you can with control. Some people on here have been having the letter for years, and it hasn’t progressed, in some cases it’s even gone away again.
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I have by chance an appointment with my diabetes nurse late this afternoon so I will bring the letter

I think they want me back in a year so it's time to kick my own arse
 
Taffyboyslim said:
I have by chance an appointment with my diabetes nurse late this afternoon so I will bring the letter
Click to expand...
Presuming it's R1M0 then that's pretty common. It's background retinopathy at the levels that would once have been regarded as inevitable in people with diabetes.

I've never (since I started getting these photographs taken, anyway) been entirely free of it, but it's also only been worse once. They wanted another scan in 6 months (and I was back to R1M0), and that when I had a brain tumour which increased BG and BP.
 
Brain tumour , of course they can pick up certain forms through eye screening

Good health to you
 
Taffyboyslim said:
Brain tumour , of course they can pick up certain forms through eye screening
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That's not how it happened in my case. My (benign) brain tumour didn't directly affect my eyes, but any kind of inflammation is going to increase BG and mess with blood pressure.
 
I had the "background retinopathy" letter at my second eye screening, so just over a year after diagnosis and then I have had the "all clear" since then, so it can resolve, a bit like a bruise on your body goes away I think, but if there is a weakness then it may bleed again, so it is important to maintain stable BG levels and BP to help prevent it bleeding again. There is no treatment for Background Retinopathy and it should not impact your sight but obviously if is a warning sign so important to manage your diabetes as well as you can to prevent it deteriorating and perhaps stand a chance of it clearing up.
 
My infrequent eye screening at the doctor's practice never reported anything unusual, but my employer's free ophthalmology appointment identified microaneurisms and I was having my first Eylea injection within the month. Have had it once a month for the last year.
 
Most of my letters after eye screening have mentioned "background retinopathy". Had a good talk with one of the Eye Sceeners late time and apparently it really is "background" and sometimes it clears up on its own - but gets worse if diabetic control is not good over a long period of time . As they don't ask for another scan then that will tell you that they think you a low risk.
I'm not medically trained but I'm posting on my own personal experience.
 
I had intensive lazor treatment about 12 years ago ..Sorted me out .Every eye screening I get seem to be ok Got cataracts developing in both eyes and the start of glaucoma in my left .Had diabetes now for 57 year so to be expected.Blood vessels hemorrhage in everyone but diabetics can't heal them so they have to to lazored
 
I've had background retinopathy since sometime in the 1980s. Never needed any treatment for it and have a normal eye test every 12 months anyway since I've worn specs since the 1960s!
 
trophywench said:
I've had background retinopathy since sometime in the 1980s. Never needed any treatment for it and have a normal eye test every 12 months anyway since I've worn specs since the 1960s!
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you have done very well i had laser way back in 1985 old argon but did the job now have problem with right eye but its great work by all the eye depts
sad thing i had to do get RID of needle s lines cartridges BATTERS and PUMP from ACC-CHEK
as i am sur they would have helped somebody in the war zone s but could not find any way to send them
as now on SMARTPHONE/PUMP YPSOMED ALL GOING WELL SIMPLES not on the super AI THINGS
KEP WELL soon get my 25 p pension gift next year vic
 
Taffyboyslim said:
Letter says they will see me again at next scheduled test .....1 year I assume?

Is it just a case of striving really hard to get these glucose levels down between medication for sugars and cholesterol , sensible eating and weight loss?

Thank guys
Click to expand...
I’ve also been getting the same letters. After a while things worsened so I was being seen every 6 months. I’m now back to yearly checks. You haven’t said what your glucose levels are like. Something to be aware of and discuss when you next see your diabetes team is the relevance of such studies as this, which suggest a too rapid drop in glucose levels may worsen retinopathy, that a gradual decline is better.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Worsening of diabetic retinopathy with rapid improvement in systemic glucose control: A review

Worsening of diabetic retinopathy (DR) is associated with the initiation of effective treatment of glycaemia in some patients with diabetes. It has been associated with risk factors such as poor blood‐glucose control and hypertension, and it manifests ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
 
counsellorneil said:
Something to be aware of and discuss when you next see your diabetes team is the relevance of such studies as this, which suggest a too rapid drop in glucose levels may worsen retinopathy, that a gradual decline is better.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Worsening of diabetic retinopathy with rapid improvement in systemic glucose control: A review

Worsening of diabetic retinopathy (DR) is associated with the initiation of effective treatment of glycaemia in some patients with diabetes. It has been associated with risk factors such as poor blood‐glucose control and hypertension, and it manifests ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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Good find - thanks for this paper. Seems to be a really complex set of variables and better BG control is initially promoting diabetic retinopathy! I went from A1c 7.2 to 5.4 in a year but my retinopathy hasn't really improved. The only "treatment" I can divine from this paper is to take less insulin, meaning eating fewer carbs/protein and I'm already low carb...:confused:
 
My first one said background retinopathy. My second one did also, but while I was in the appointment the ophthalmologist pulled up my first one and compared it, and said they were absolutely identical which is extremely unlikely for background retinopathy, so although she had to report it as that since she saw something she advised she thinks in my case it is really a kind of "freckle".
 
I had a small bleed at my 1st test, it cleared up and no issues at Mt second. Foid choices , getting diabetes under control helps.
 
A few years ago, I asked what happened with the scans.
Apparently, they are independently checked by two people. If they disagree, a third person checks them. The checks are "manual" - looking for bleeds or tiny abnormalities. So, although they are checked, there is room for human error, especially when looking for something small
I was told, the checks are done by computer in Scotland but the program used cannot account for the different views taken in England, (two photos are taken of each eye looking in different directions) .
This was about 3 years ago so things may have changed.
 
I’d say as somebody who had treatment (and still is on a ongoing basis) just don’t worry about it
keep a good control of your BS and follow any advice they give

If further down the line they feel you require any treatment
I’m sure they will fully talk through what they can offer, that’s if any is needed, a few times many years ago they saw something that suggested something in the background for me, but then at next scan was better
 
Just to note that BP control is generally seen as equally important as BG control for reducing retinopathy risk and progression. Lipids are also a factor, and (as always) smoking.
 
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