# Blurry eyesight



## caleb44 (Oct 22, 2016)

Hi all. I just joined today. Yesterday I went to the doctors and they told me that I have Type 2 Diabetes. But over a week ago my eyesight has been getting worse, very blurry vision. The doctor reckons its got nothing to do with diabetes. Does anyone know what this could be? Thanks.


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## Amigo (Oct 22, 2016)

Welcome Lynne. Your doctor seems ill-informed. Read this and it may help to explain. Good news is it's reversible once you get your levels under control.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/symptoms/blurred-vision.html


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## grovesy (Oct 22, 2016)

Welcome, yes blurry vision can be a symptom of Diabetes!


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## AlisonM (Oct 22, 2016)

Your doctor is probably wrong. While there are many reasons for blurry vision, high blood sugar levels are one of the most common among diabetics. Mine get blurry when I'm at either end of the spectrum, too high or too low. I suspect that, as your numbers come down, the problem will right itself. Have you been given any medications?


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## caleb44 (Oct 22, 2016)

Thanks for the replies. I was diagnosed with Diabetes yesterday, I have been prescribed Metformin 500mg 1 a day for 7 days then 2 a day for a further 7 days . Then I have an appointment with a diabetic nurse. I did say to the doctor about blurry eyes, he told me you had to have long term diabetes before it affects your eyes. Hopefully my diabetic nurse will be informed.


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## Owen (Oct 22, 2016)

lynne birrell said:


> Thanks for the replies. I was diagnosed with Diabetes yesterday, I have been prescribed Metformin 500mg 1 a day for 7 days then 2 a day for a further 7 days . Then I have an appointment with a diabetic nurse. I did say to the doctor about blurry eyes, he told me you had to have long term diabetes before it affects your eyes. Hopefully my diabetic nurse will be informed.


If you have a hazing type blur, this is due to the sugar and a combination of dehydration. One of the early signs of diabetes. GP not no his stuff, need go back medical school, ugh.


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## Amigo (Oct 22, 2016)

lynne birrell said:


> Thanks for the replies. I was diagnosed with Diabetes yesterday, I have been prescribed Metformin 500mg 1 a day for 7 days then 2 a day for a further 7 days . Then I have an appointment with a diabetic nurse. I did say to the doctor about blurry eyes, he told me you had to
> have long term diabetes before it affects your eyes. Hopefully my diabetic nurse will be informed.



Lynne, don't be surprised if your medical team aren't as informed about diabetes as you'd expect them to be. There's a body of thought that even pre-diabetes for a significant amount of time can cause diabetic problems. My sight was blurry at diagnosis but my GP accepted the link.

I hope you can get on top of this soon. The best advice I could give from my own experience (diagnosed 18 months ago) is test at home. Could be your GP won't supply a meter and testing strips and may even try to dissuade you. You'll find that the people who do best are those who test and work out what food uniquely spike them. Good luck, you'll find lots of good advice and support on here.


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## caleb44 (Oct 22, 2016)

Thanks for the replies. Did the blurred vision clear up when you got your blood count under control?


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## Amigo (Oct 22, 2016)

lynne birrell said:


> Thanks for the replies. Did the blurred vision clear up when you got your blood count under control?



Yes it did Lynne and the other symptoms I was suffering too. If you need to lose weight, you'll be amazed what a difference it can make losing some because the visceral fat around the organs reduces and allows a better insulin response. This is really worth persevering with and learning about even though it's not always easy.


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## caleb44 (Oct 22, 2016)

Ok, thanks for that


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## Amigo (Oct 22, 2016)

lynne birrell said:


> Ok, thanks for that



I know you're scared about it just now Lynne but this is sortable and I'm sure you'll see improvements once you get your levels under control. Don't change any glasses at the moment because prescriptions can change. Blurry vision is a common theme on here and many of us have and do suffer with it when levels get out of kilter. You'll get there!


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## trophywench (Oct 22, 2016)

I believe it's something we ALL get if our glucose levels are too high - I definitely did before diagnosis and it was specifically recognised as a symptom of D even then!  And I also still get it when I've shot up for any reason.  But in between when both I and my blood glucose are doing the right things - it's fine.

Please note that it will take time to get completely better, but you should see it starting to, soon after your blood glucose starts to come down - but the only way you'll know whether it is or not, is to test yourself at home - not wait for weeks or months for the GP surgery to test it.

Exercise helps as well as diet - and it's ALL carbohydrates that affect us - NOT only sugar !


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## Andy HB (Oct 24, 2016)

I would just urge a little caution here. It is more than likely that the blurred vision is due yo the diabetes.  However, it may be due to other causes, so don't just leave it if it doesn't improve.

If it is diabetes related, then don't buy any glasses until your eyesight is stable. This may take months.

Andy


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## caleb44 (Oct 24, 2016)

Thanks for the replies. I have had a really bad weekend due to my blurry vision. As I was only diagnosed with Diabetes on Friday its all new to me. I am trying to cut out what I had been eating. Which now makes me feel very tired all the time. Any suggestions what I could eat and drink as I have a dry mouth with the metformin. Thanks.


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## Amigo (Oct 24, 2016)

lynne birrell said:


> Thanks for the replies. I have had a really bad weekend due to my blurry vision. As I was only diagnosed with Diabetes on Friday its all new to me. I am trying to cut out what I had been eating. Which now makes me feel very tired all the time. Any suggestions what I could eat and drink as I have a dry mouth with the metformin. Thanks.



Sorry you're having a bad time Lynne and it wouldn't go amiss to see an optician. I'd did when my eyes were blurry just to eliminate any other problems. Everything was ok.

The way I approached the adapted diet was simply to think of meals without the high carb content so a dinner with meat and plenty of veg but a tiny amount of new potatoes. Fill up your plate with non carb options. Breakfasts, I moved away from cereals, fruit and too much bread and thought omelettes, Burgen bread, grilled bacon, sausages (high meat content), mushrooms, cold meats, cheese and eggs. I still allow myself the odd sweetie treat but tried to always keep it under 12 grams carb. Unfortunately I don't like dark chocolate.

Have plenty of water (low sugar flavoured water is nice) and try to walk after meals. I have a dry mouth and allow myself the odd sugar free sweet (but be aware of their effect on the bowels!). I found keeping tasty cooked chicken and pieces of cheese and prawns in the fridge stopped me reaching out for high carb options when I was grazing (that's a habit we tend to get into and leads to trouble). Good luck


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## Ljc (Oct 24, 2016)

Hi Lynne , I hope your blurry vision soon starts to clear up soon.
I don't know if you already know but just incase you don't , it's carbs that our bodies can't handle too well, sugar is just another type of carb. Please don't go too mad at it first as it's best not to lower your BGs too fast , Try to cut down a bit on things like , potatoes, pasta, bread and rice. Root vegetables tend to be more carby than those that grow above ground , we need to be careful about fruit too some of us tolerate berries better,  um grapes are little sugar bombs.
So things like eggs, cheese , fish and meat if you eat it are fine, fill up on veg,  a few nuts make a good snack. Good quality sausages and burgers are not on the no list either nor is bacon.
When I'm thirsty I prefer a fizzy drink and as I like sparkling water (it is n acquired taste) that's what I usually have, once your glucose levels come down the thirst should go.
Perhaps if you tell us what you like to eat we can come up with suggestion or replacements you should also check out the food/carbs queries forum over in the newbies section for info and recipes
https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/forums/food-carb-queries-recipes.4/
Exersize is a big help too, walking is good .
I know it probably seems impossible atm, but just take a look round here and you will  see we are a happy (we'll mostly happy) bunch of people, some of whom due to having diabetes are healthier/fitter than they have ever been in their lives


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## caleb44 (Oct 24, 2016)

Thanks for the replies. I think just now I'm feeling a little bit sorry for myself. I just seem to have no energy. With this blurry vision I just go up to bed and try to sleep, as there's not much to do when everything is blurry. I enjoy chicken, fish veg etc.. Ive been eating little satsumas which give a nice taste other than water.


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## Sals75 (Oct 30, 2016)

Hi Lynne, I have recently been diagnosed due to my vision going so Blurry I thought I was going blind! Went to the optician and she sent me to the dr. Sure enough I am type 2. I did buy new glasses but they only worked for 2 weeks before I coukdn't see again. I went back to opticians who changed my lenses again and I can see. It had really been getting me down as I couldn't read, watch TV etc. Optician did say I will likely need to change lenses again at some point as my sugar levels settle but so far my current lenses have been great for the last 8 weeks.


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## TheClockworkDodo (Oct 30, 2016)

Hello Lynne, and welcome 

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, and your blurry eyes.  Blurred eyesight was the first diabetes symptom I got - I went to the optician and thankfully she suggested I might be diabetic and should see a doctor.  There was nothing else wrong with my eyes.

When my blood sugar levels were going down to normal my eyesight kept changing and there was a while when I couldn't read or anything like that either, but it didn't last long.  My optician told me not to get new glasses for at least 6 months after diagnosis though in case it took a while for my eyes to stabilise.

I haven't had any problems like that with them since, but they do go a bit blurry occasionally if my blood sugar is going rapidly up or down.

Hopefully yours will be the same, but I agree with Andy that it's worth getting an optician to check them for you, just to put your mind at rest.

Also, given that your doctor doesn't seem to know much about diabetes, do you mind if I ask what made him/her decide that it's type 2 you have rather than type 1, do you know?


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## Amigo (Oct 30, 2016)

Lynne, make sure your optician tests for possible cataract involvement. My optician is sure I have one developing which is making one of my eyes quite blurry. They don't only affect older people.


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## trophywench (Oct 30, 2016)

Even little satsumas have a surprising amount of sugar in them - regularly up to 15g of carbohydrate - always between 10 and 15 depending on weight.  To give you a comparison that's virtually the same as eating a large slice of medium sliced white bread!


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## Charlotte Benson (Nov 6, 2016)

Hi Lynne.. Im new on here too got the rubbish news im type 2 only last week  my eyes have also been quite blurry especially when I focus on the same thing for a while i.e laptop.. doctor told me this is because of the high glucose readings.. should calm down once my levels go down.. so if you wear glasses as I do I wouldnt worry about seeing your optician just yet as Im sure they will calm down soon x


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## Bloden (Nov 11, 2016)

Hi there Lynne and welcome. Yep, I had blurry vision before and after diagnosis too. It got so bad sometimes I couldn't see well enough to drive. It cleared up gradually, with intermittent bouts for approx my first 6 months on insulin. I still get it now if my glucose is very high, but it isn't as debilitating and passes more quickly.

If you're worried, then see an optician but don't get new glasses just yet, as others have advised.


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## caleb44 (Nov 11, 2016)

Hi there, thanks all the advice given. I have been to the optician and got another eye test, I asked the optician if I could get glasses, he wasn't going to give me them but I told him I couldn't go on with my blurry eyesight. Although its just a quick fix just now, at least I can see properly.


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