Eye Screening

Having had diabetes for 13 years have thankfully not had any problems with my eyesight. However just got a letter sent from the eye screening unit that there have been changes to my eyesight because of diabetes and that I am being referred to an eye specialist.

Been a bit of a fright to say the least and am now seriously worried about my vision, dont get me wrong I havent noticed any changes but thats the thing you dont until it can be very late.

The information sheet provided with the letter states that laser surgery can be used to treat retinopathy. Does anyone know how successful this type of treatment is? Been getting quite worried about it

Hey, welcome to the forum.............

From the stories I have heard laser treatment is successful in stemming any minor leaks, there may be minor leaks around the outside but its ones near the middle that may effect the sight.............I have had it for 12 years, diabetes that is, and I have background retinopathy, its normal I suppose after so long..............

being referred doesn't mean you will have to get the laser, just means some more in depth investigation is needed, but if you do, don't worry, it will help......................and remember retinopathy can improve if you can lower your BG levels nice and slowly........

I am sure someone with more first hand experience will be along soon.........

Hi,
I have been a diabetic now for 33 years and had my first experience with a minor retinal bleed about 20+ years ago. The opthamologist recommended laser and I was so terrified of losing my sight that I readily agreed. I have since had three additional treatments (so a total of two on each eye) over the last 20 years. I have a check up every second year or so and no further treatment has been deemed necessary. I dislike the procedure but the outcome is very good. My vision is good and I still drive without glasses. Wear them for reading but can almost read the newspaper without them. My daughter-in-law believes my colour perception is shot. I put navy socks on my grandson when his mother thought I ought have sort out brown. I thought his pants were a funny grey but she insisted they were brown! I can live with that!

Up until I did Dafne my control was less than satisfactory but since Dafne it is much more regular. The opthamologist believes the tighter control is at least in part responsible for the lack of further damage/deterioration.

I have a friend who has also been a long term diabetic and she had a less than satisfactory experience with laser and was off work for quite some time. I literally had it done, waited until my pupils were reactive to light and then went back to work that afternoon. Did get a black eye after one episode though.

The technology must have come a long way in twenty years. For memory my last lot of laser was 10-12 years ago.

Helen

Guys,
Thank you both for your warm welcome to the forum and for your very helpful comments and information and also for sharing your experiences. Its much appreciated and not only has it helped given me a better understanding of retinopathy it has also made me fe a bit better about the whole thing.

Thanks again

Third Lanark said:
Guys,
Thank you both for your warm welcome to the forum and for your very helpful comments and information and also for sharing your experiences. Its much appreciated and not only has it helped given me a better understanding of retinopathy it has also made me fe a bit better about the whole thing.

Thanks again

I have my eyes checked for retinopathy twice a year at my local hospital and so far there has been no need for laser surgery. A couple of years ago, the opthalmologist noticed some a slight worsening and I had to go in for a different sort of test. This involved putting a drip into the back of my hand and feeding in a flourescent yellow dye. The opthalmologoist then put the drops in my eyes to dilate the pupils and looked at the back of my eyes with one of the special viewing thingies, to see if any of the dye had leaked out. Thankfully, it hadn't. On the way out of the hospital, I went to the toilet and noticed that my pee was flourescent - I'm sure it would have shown up in the dark. It was alarming at first, but then I realised that it was the dye and I was quite amused.
Because of the pupil dilation, I had to get the bus home and when I got there, my wife was alarmed at the way I looked. There were yellow streaks down my face - when I had the drops in my eyes, they gave me tissues to wipe my eyes, which obviously spread the dye over my face - I wondered why I was getting some funny looks on the bus.

LOL...........I suppose it would have been worse if you had known you were covered in it......at least you traveled home comfortably thinking thank god that's over.....

I would'nt worry too much about the laser treatment third lanark, i had retinopathy treatment about 3 yrs ago due to the diabetes and at first i was worried too but 3 short blasts of the laser and it was corrected, got a check up about 6months after treatment and all ok..

I had the same letter a few years back. When you have diabetes a few years (or so I am told by the eye specialist) it is normal to see some changes and they just want to be sure that what they are seeing is normal and not significant. I agree the letter is very blunt, I was really scared and upset by it. I think doctors should consider the effect of letters they send and word them more carefully. They probably have not given a thought to how a diabetic might feel when they receive a letter like this - terrified, alone, fearing blindness and complications, panicking, not knowing who to ask and all you can do is await the appointment. If there are doctors who read this, please can you look into this matter? If the letter was a little more reassuring it would really help. Doctors drum into us the terror of complications, blindness, kidney failure and amputation. Then to confront you with a letter like this is cruel in my opinion.

I agree, when I first go the letter I was worried, they did explain that 'background retinopathy' was normal after many years but that does not really reassure us......

After explanation from other diabetic and HCPs all is well now, but the first time this happens its not very nice.....