Newly diagnosed Type 1 gf, blurry eyes problem?

[AndyM314]

Hi everyone my name is Andy, I've been living with Type 2 diabetes for a couple years and managed to just about put it in remission for now, but i have a question regarding my partner?
She was admitted into hospital last friday with DKA and is currently being treated as a type 1 diabetic, when she came home on monday she was told to take fast acting insulin 3 times a day at 30, and a longer lasting one at 50 before bed. She is becoming incresingly concerned that her eyesight has been getting blurrier by the day. Is this normal for anyone else here? She has an apppointment with her diabetic nurse on wednesday and plan to call up monday to get some advice but some reassurance that this could go away on its own would be nice! For the sake of info, before she was admitted her glucose readings were around 30 mmol, but since being home theyre between 10 and 5 now.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi Andy
Welcome to the forum. Yes, blurry vision is something that some people experience when blood glucose levels drop quickly. This happens when people reduce their carb intake or most likely in your partners case being put on insulin.
Certainly something to mention to your diabetic nurse.
It is better not to rush off to the optician for new glasses as hopefully they will return to normal, how long that might take does vary with different people from a few weeks to a bit longer than that. Some people suggest a cheap pair of reading glasses might help.
My distance vision was fine but the near vision was affected and it has taken 7 months to get back to normal.

 

[AndyM314]

7 months? wow. I mean i read another persons post on here who said theyd been dealing with it for 10 days. Our issue is that its making it difficult for her to take her insulin as its getting to the point where she can just about make out the number on her pen, and also getting difficult putting the cap on the needle to change it.

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi Andy,

Sorry to hear about your partners' situation. I think mine took about 3-4 months to settle down. I went from perfect sight, to near sighted then far sighted in a week! I was worried about getting glasses as they say your eyes can adjust to them and become worse than just letting it resolve itself naturally.

Generally, it does resolve itself naturally but as you say, in the mean time, important issues can arise. I used glasses or a magnifying glass when I absolutely needed it and my eyesight went back to normal once by BG levels went back to normal consistently.

 

[Leadinglights]

7 months? wow. I mean i read another persons post on here who said theyd been dealing with it for 10 days. Our issue is that its making it difficult for her to take her insulin as its getting to the point where she can just about make out the number on her pen, and also getting difficult putting the cap on the needle to change it.

I can see that is somewhat of an issue. Mine was not as bad by any means rather more things being out of focus and my eyes not working together, It felt as if my eyes were in different heads.
You should definitely seek help from the nurse asap as they may be able to provide some additional aid.

 

[AndyM314]

Thank you both for your replies. She also suffers from an anxiety disorder so this whole situation is playing hell with her mind at the moment. I think i'm gonna have to pop into town tomorrow and try and find some cheap reading glasses as suggested and hope for the best. Fingers crossed the nurse on monday will give us some aid. Personally i think her medication is a little too high for her current diet as i said before she went in her readings were in the high 20's and now are floating between 4.6 to 10.
Hopefully just her system getting used to everything.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear about your partner’s diagnosis and struggles with anxiety @AndyM314

A diagnosis with diabetes can be a lot to take on initially, but things should soon begin to become more automatic and normalised for her as the weeks and months progress.

Elevated or changing BG levels can change the pressure inside the eyeballs and distort the shape of the eye, which often cause blurry vision around diagnosis time. Things should settle within a few weeks or months, but do get things checked at an opticians if the situation continues or she has concerns that it isn’t improving.

Hopefully, as you say it’s just her system adjusting and settling down.

Best wishes to you both.

You and she might find these books a useful source of reference over the coming weeks and months:

Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas. Don't be worried by the title - this book is relevant to people of all ages - just skip the chapter on schools!

Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner - A practical guide to managing diabetes with insulin

 

[Ljc]

Before she left hospital was your gf given a telephone number to contact in case of problems , queries etc, if so it would be best to contact them ASAP as they might want to tweak her insulin doses a bit as That is a huge drop and very quickly too , they can at least reassure her as well as give any advise .

I agree expensive new glasses are not a good idea atm and a good optician would advise the same once they new she was so newly diagnosed as it’s likely they will not be suitable a bit later on but having her eyes checked out is fine just don’t buy any glasses if offered.

Instead I bought some really cheap ones ,for literally a couple of £s each or perhaps a magnifying glass will help your gf do her injections.
With me my sight went foggy , just like I was walking through thick fog and It took about a month before I noticed an improvement .

 

[SB2015]

Welcome to the forum @AndyM314

As others have said, blurry vision is a common factor during diagnosis.
Once levels return to normal this is likely to settle. It is better to wait a good while before in speaking in new glasses, but some cheap reading glasses can help in the meantime, and make it easier for your Oh to dial up her doses and change her needles.

Do encourage your OH to keep in regular contact with her Diabetes Specialist Nurse, as they will help her to make adjustments to her doses. If at all worried contact them. That is what they are there for and it does take a little while to match doses to an individual needs.

A diagnosis is a shock at any age and T1 often accelerates rapidly just before diagnosis, so it is a very steep learning curve. However it does get easier, and I would thoroughly recommend the books that Mike suggested. Keep in touch and come back with any questions that arise.