This blurry eye site is really getting me down now.

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GKC

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Type 2
Anyone else have the same problem when newly diagnosed with type 2 ….. and how long did it last and is there anything I can do to speed up getting my vision back to normal? Thanks
 
I have type 1 but also had very blurry eyesight at diagnosis and it was horrid, you have my sympathy. I would recommend you ask for a referral to the eye clinic if you haven't already had one. They will be able what, if any, damage has occurred. I was very lucky and the cause of my problems was just lens changes due to my very high blood sugars. This resolved itself in about 4 weeks and my optician says my eyes are better than when I last saw him (pre-diagnosis)! Controlling your blood sugar is the best thing you can do but don't rush at it.

One thing I found invaluable was a pair of cheap reading glasses from Boots or the £ shop. I can't believe how strong they are when I put them on now but they gave me enough sight to read text messages etc. I really hope your eyes come good soon.
 
My vision is one of the main reasons i went to the GP and got diagnosed with Diabetes 2. My hba1c came back high at 108. I decided to follow some of the advice on this site with a low carb diet. I was also prescribed Metformin . My Blood glucose levels swiftly dropped to below pre diabetic levels and my eyesight improved dramatically, the blurriness went within a week or two but took maybe a year-18 months to settle down completely and back to normal. Although i have suffered no damage and do not need spectacles it is advised to take things more gradually than i did to avoid you BG dropping too rapidly and maybe causing eye damage (which i didn't know at the time).
What is your Hba1c? and what diet advice did the Gp/Nurse advise?
Low Carb has worked for me and i am now without meds and just about keeping my sugars below pre diabetic levels. I also lost about 25kg which i am sure helped too. I now exercise too to keep my blood sugars in check.
I agree with the advise about cheap glasses above to get you through this blurry stage. I had varying strengths here so i could read or see the tv until i got things under control. The poundland ones will do.
 
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It was only when I dramatically reduced my carbohydrate intake that my eyes went blurry and didn't seem to work together for close vision, far vision was fine.
It took about 7 months for them to return to sort of normal. I wear varifocals so struggled along as I didn't want to spring for new glasses as my prescription is mega bucks.
 
That’s exactly how my eyes were, not working together like the were in 2 different heads. Fine now, apart from my dry eyes
 
EmmaL76 said:
That’s exactly how my eyes were, not working together like the were in 2 different heads. Fine now, apart from my dry eyes
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I was like that when I first got varifocals many years ago and that was exactly how I described it to the optician and all it was, was that the glasses were not adjusted properly and they were all skewwhiff on my face.
 
Get confused as to what carbs are or type of foods ….. or what I can and can’t eat . Got my eye test on the 7th March . Thank you for your mail everyone
 
It is confusing for a while. I remember thinking carbs consisted of cake and bread. Then I would go shopping and start reading labels and wanting to cry because literally everything seemed to be high carb. Gradually you find more and more things that work for you. I can try and give you some examples of what I have during a day of that would help?
Breakfast. Kvarg or quark with no grain granola, eggs and bacon with mushrooms or hi lo bread toasted with peanut butter.
Lunch. Carbzone wrap with meats and salad, coleslaw and some peanuts or salmon or chicken salad
Dinner. Steak, chicken, fish plenty of salad or Edamame noodles and beansprouts
Drinks, water or tea with blue top milk
Snacks and treats, nature valley protein peanut bars, low sugar jelly and cream, popcorn, vegetable crisps, nuts, clotted cream ice cream (smallish amount) coconutters vanilla /chocolate ice lollies. Marks and spencer sea salt and chocolate peanut bars
Large glass of Pinot or Prosecco 😉
 
GKC said:
Get confused as to what carbs are or type of foods ….. or what I can and can’t eat . Got my eye test on the 7th March . Thank you for your mail everyone
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This link may explain things a bit more.
lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk

Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home

lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk
Carbohydrates are in many foods that are not protein or fats but some foods have much higher amounts of carbohydrate and those are the ones to avoid or have in very reduced amounts if you are Type 2. The main high carb foods are obviously sugar and foods containing sugar but also bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, pastry, cereals, bananas, tropical fruits starchy vegetables but foods which have very little carbohydrate are meat, fish, eggs, cheese, full fat dairy, green veg and salads and other foods which do have some carbs so can be eaten in moderation so fruit like berries, nuts.
Everybody is different so their tolerance of carbs will vary.
 
EmmaL76 said:
It is confusing for a while. I remember thinking carbs consisted of cake and bread. Then I would go shopping and start reading labels and wanting to cry because literally everything seemed to be high carb. Gradually you find more and more things that work for you. I can try and give you some examples of what I have during a day of that would help?
Breakfast. Kvarg or quark with no grain granola, eggs and bacon with mushrooms or hi lo bread toasted with peanut butter.
Lunch. Carbzone wrap with meats and salad, coleslaw and some peanuts or salmon or chicken salad
Dinner. Steak, chicken, fish plenty of salad or Edamame noodles and beansprouts
Drinks, water or tea with blue top milk
Snacks and treats, nature valley protein peanut bars, low sugar jelly and cream, popcorn, vegetable crisps, nuts, clotted cream ice cream (smallish amount) coconutters vanilla /chocolate ice lollies. Marks and spencer sea salt and chocolate peanut bars
Large glass of Pinot or Prosecco 😉
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Large glass of Pinot or Prosecco now that’s a must …. lol
 
GKC said:
Anyone else have the same problem when newly diagnosed with type 2 ….. and how long did it last and is there anything I can do to speed up getting my vision back to normal? Thanks
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Have you cut back on carbs dramatically and then noticed blurred vision issues or were they blurred before diagnosis?

My eyesight was not good leading up to diagnosis but it got better as BG was bright under control.

I would caution against drastically cutting carbs in one step however as that can impact vision negatively. Advice I’ve seen is to cut carbs by 1/3rd, hold at that level for a couple of weeks and then reduce by 1/3rd and hold for two weeks again etc. That can allow you to reduce carb intake but minimises risk of damage to your vision.

You said you’ve got an eye test coming up, is that a standard eye test or is it a diabetic retinopathy one?
 
ColinUK said:
Have you cut back on carbs dramatically and then noticed blurred vision issues or were they blurred before diagnosis?

My eyesight was not good leading up to diagnosis but it got better as BG was bright under control.

I would caution against drastically cutting carbs in one step however as that can impact vision negatively. Advice I’ve seen is to cut carbs by 1/3rd, hold at that level for a couple of weeks and then reduce by 1/3rd and hold for two weeks again etc. That can allow you to reduce carb intake but minimises risk of damage to your vision.

You said you’ve got an eye test coming up, is that a standard eye test or is it a diabetic retinopathy one?
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Great minds lol
 
When my eyes were blurry i went to Specsavers and they did a prescription and told me to see GP to be tested for Diabetes . I could barely see clearly more than 6ft in front of me by then. By the time i returned to collect the glasses 2 weeks later they were of no use at all as my eyesight and sugar levels had improved due to my new low carb diet and Metformin to control my now confirmed Diabetes. They refunded me and told me to try and get my Diabetes well under control to the point my eyesight was very stable before retesting. This took well over a year until i felt confident it had settled down completely and when i was retested i was found to not to need glasses after all. I was also told luckily i had no signs of damage caused by the Diabetes. So i wouldn't recommend paying out for expensive specs whilst your eyesight is so blurry if the optician thinks caused by diabetes as may be of no use as your eyesight changes if your sugar levels drop to better levels. Luckily Specsavers had a no quibble money back guarantee else i would have been £200 out of pocket. I suppose some opticians may not offer this.
 
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GKC said:
Get confused as to what carbs are or type of foods ….. or what I can and can’t eat . Got my eye test on the 7th March . Thank you for your mail everyone
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There is a brilliant book called Carbs and cals that really helped me early on showing the carb values of different sized servings of most foods/meals it even includes takeaways.
 
Loobyloo said:
There is a brilliant book called Carbs and cals that really helped me early on showing the carb values of different sized servings of most foods/meals it even includes takeaways.
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It was my bible for making better food choices and some things were a real surprise / shock and very revealing.
 
If you want to, you could invest a few ££ in a pair of Ready Readers - my husband has em in various strengths. Nowt wrong with his eyesight, people just print things too small these days. He isn't deaf either I'll have you know - everyone on telly mutters these days!

Anyway - for temporary use while you're waiting for your eyes to sort emselves out, which they will.
 
trophywench said:
If you want to, you could invest a few ££ in a pair of Ready Readers - my husband has em in various strengths. Nowt wrong with his eyesight, people just print things too small these days. He isn't deaf either I'll have you know - everyone on telly mutters these days!

Anyway - for temporary use while you're waiting for your eyes to sort emselves out, which they will.
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Hi yes I went and got some this morning thanks
 
Hello, some interesting and helpful reading as I am struggling badly with blurred vision and short range impossible with or without glasses. I had a shocking inly high 20s blood reading a fortnight ago gave me a jolt to do something about it, did so and also now on 2 Gliclazide a day along with metformin. Readings are now 6/7 but my vision for tte past week has deteriorated and its quite scary. I guess I've done everything too quick. Some of you will mkow the effort of eye squinting it's taking to type this.
 
Manxie73 said:
Hello, some interesting and helpful reading as I am struggling badly with blurred vision and short range impossible with or without glasses. I had a shocking inly high 20s blood reading a fortnight ago gave me a jolt to do something about it, did so and also now on 2 Gliclazide a day along with metformin. Readings are now 6/7 but my vision for tte past week has deteriorated and its quite scary. I guess I've done everything too quick. Some of you will mkow the effort of eye squinting it's taking to type this.
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This is a result of the blood glucose level changing which affects the environment in the eyes and the focal length as the eye changes shape, I'm not sure there is anything you can actually do other than wait for it to settle down, that will vary depending on the individual, my distance vision was fine but near vision took several months but for some people it is much quicker than that.
 
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