Vision Problems in One Eye..is it diabetes?

[Yoboney]

Hi everyone. I am a 47 yr old man that gained some weight since 40..don't tell me it is normal...lol I had laser surgery at 39 yrs old and I went from 20/600 in both eyes to 20/30 and 20/20 in my eyes. The past few years I was in the summer time noticing that my left eye was not as good as before. Then last summer i got some sores on my skin that the doctor checked my glucose level and it was 93 and 105 after fasting. I have been thirsty seemingly forever but I was wondering if any of you had ever had vision loss in just one eye. Recently my left eye has gone really bad..it went from 20/30 in September to about 20/100 now and is very blurry. I have had tests and the eye doctors say they have no idea what is wrong. They cannot correct the vision. One eye doctor did mention that maybe I should check for diabetes. I also have gout from gaining weight and that according to the net runs hand in hand with diabetes. Has anyone experienced this and what does the vision go back to what it was if the glucose level lowers? I am really nervous and scared and I am sure you folks have been there too. I am going to my doc and see what he says. I just don't want to be blind or worse. Thanks for any info.

Brad

[mortis505]

Yaboney, for starters welcome to DF! This is a great site with lots of info. Unfortunately, no one here can do an online diagnosis of diabetes. If you are worried about it, then please seek the experience of a physician immediately. Only they can give you a proper diagnosis and get you on the path to proper treatment.

You can have a look at this thread (http://www.diabetesforums.com/forum/introductions-and-announcements/14909-think-you-might-have.html) to see if you have some of the symptoms, but it cannot replace the use of proper diagnostic testing to rule out other possibilities.

I hope its not too serious and that you can figure out what the problem is.

[Yoboney]

Yaboney, for starters welcome to DF! This is a great site with lots of info. Unfortunately, no one here can do an online diagnosis of diabetes. If you are worried about it, then please seek the experience of a physician immediately. Only they can give you a proper diagnosis and get you on the path to proper treatment.

You can have a look at this thread (http://www.diabetesforums.com/forum/introductions-and-announcements/14909-think-you-might-have.html) to see if you have some of the symptoms, but it cannot replace the use of proper diagnostic testing to rule out other possibilities.

I hope its not too serious and that you can figure out what the problem is.

I appreciate the info. I am just concerned about losing my eyesight. If I had not had the sores on my skin I would have probably thought that the vision problem was from lasik. But I have never heard of eye problems coming six years after surgery. I guess I will have to check with the doc tomorrow and get some tests done. Thanks

[adiantum]

G'day Brad, I'm really sorry your having this problem.
Please come back & let us know what the doctor says .
I'm hoping for you that it's not D & that your vision repairs

[Yoboney]

G'day Brad, I'm really sorry your having this problem.
Please come back & let us know what the doctor says .
I'm hoping for you that it's not D & that your vision repairs


I have had two blood tests and the doc says no d but I never told the regular doc about the loss of visual acuity in my left eye. I have just never heard of d affecting only one eye. The eye specialists say they cannot figure it out. My neighbor actually has d and his doc told him that he could see the sugar particles in his eyes..so I got curious about d. If it is not one thing it is another..

[Hammer]

As others have said, seeing a specialist is the thing to do. I had looked into lasik surgery after my daughter had it and as I'm sure you are aware, lasik isn't permanent. That is, even if the surgery corrects your vision now, as you age, you will still eventually need glasses. When I read that, I decided not to have the surgery, since eventually I'd need glasses anyway.

As for diabetes causing eye problems in one eye, yes, that has happened to me, but it eventually went away. That's not to say that this is what's happening in your case. See what the doctors can come up with, then let us know. We are always concerned about the members here and how they are doing.;)

[Janlaton]

Tricky diabetes can affect one eye or both. But get yourself to the eye doc asap. You may have some diabetic problems but if losing my eyesight I would have done been to see my eye doctor. Fortunately after 40 years I still do not have retinopathy!

Pray this will work out well. Let us know.

[xMenace]

I had laser surgery at 39 yrs old and I went from 20/600 in both eyes to 20/30 and 20/20 in my eyes.

What do you mean by laser surgery? Lasiks? There's a who new meaning when you talk to diabetics. Lasiks is the tame stuff! ;)

[Yoboney]

I had lasik surgery in both eyes back in '99 and I went from 20/600 to 20/30 and 20/20. Now my left eye has gone haywire and the eye specialists even at Wilmer Eye Institute have no idea why I can't see. I have been to three different specialists with the same answer. Then my optometrist said to check and see if I had diabetes. Nobody in my family has had it. But I have gained fifty pounds since the lasik surgery. The left eye is really bothersome and I had never heard of only one eye being affected by diabetes. My tests so far for diabetes are negative but I have had symptoms such as sores on the skin. So I found this very informative group. I am going for another blood test tomorrow and will let everyone know what happens after the results come in. Just really terrified of being blind.

Brad

[Janlaton]

Did not realize you had seen so many eye specialist. Pray all will be well. Have you seen someone who specializes in retina problems? Don't ask me to spell the name of there speciality but they can find things others do not.

Keep us posted.

[xMenace]

I have been to three different specialists with the same answer.

Do you mean opthamologist or retinal surgeons? Anything less, especially if they don't do a dialated exam, may not be qualified to assess diabetic related problems. Most optometrists are good though.

The eye is a very complex organ. It is often not easy to diagnose the exact causes of sight difficulties.

[Yoboney]

Do you mean opthamologist or retinal surgeons? Anything less, especially if they don't do a dialated exam, may not be qualified to assess diabetic related problems. Most optometrists are good though.

The eye is a very complex organ. It is often not easy to diagnose the exact causes of sight difficulties.


I have gone to Opthamologists that do surgery and are heads of the hospitals at some of Dc's largest teaching hospitals. They have no idea what is wrond with the eye at all. There was one doctor that was actually making small talk after I asked after I was told they had "no idea" and she said...."what about diabetes". That is why it is spooky...I don't want to be blind at all. This site seems to have lots of life experiences that are helpful. But wouldn't you think that people who train in medicine and eye specialties would be able to figure out why someone is losing their sight.

Brad

[Yoboney]

Did not realize you had seen so many eye specialist. Pray all will be well. Have you seen someone who specializes in retina problems? Don't ask me to spell the name of there speciality but they can find things others do not.

Keep us posted.

I appreciate you asking. I first developed gout and did not know that the indomethacin I was given could cause serious problems. Then last year they said my liver was not working properly...because of the meds. Then I got this eye problem and gout and diabetes supposedly go hand in hand...of course docs never tell you this. So I go from specialist to specialist trying to get my sight back and so far no luck. Today I had some more blood tests so we will see where my blood glucose is today. I just wonder how much blood sugar has to be there to ruin eyesight. Sometimes I get more info from the net than the doctor. Two years ago the doc had been giving me colchicine for gout and I had a blood test...showed anemia..wow..my dad is fighting cancer so I looked on the net and saw that anemia was a side effect of colchicine. Then after two weeks off the meds and some folic acid my blood was normal. I think that there are just so many side effects and new drugs that the docs need computers attached to their chests. lol I will tell the interesting results after I get the tests results back. Here is something ironic abouit gout..you are not supposed to eat red meat and protein...carbs are what you are supposed to eat...diabetes is opposite..so I guess we always learn something each day we live.

[xMenace]

.I don't want to be blind at all.

"Diabetes blindness" is something that strikes typically decades down the road. Don't worry about it. If you were so high it may be a problem sooner, they'd have dxed you by now.

High sugars can make one blurry. There's plenty of anecdotal evidence on here. It is a short term symptom with no severe side effects except for running your car through walls. I've seen many posts where vision did clear after getting sugars controlled. But if yours are controlled, it tells me you have an unexplained gooey vitreous. Have you been microwaving your head? :whistling

[Janlaton]

Again do any of the doctors specialize in problems with the retina? This is a very technical area and different from other eye specilities. Be sure to ask your docs if they are specilist in the retina! If not ask them to send you to one please. There are some very good ones at the Vistar Eye Center here in Roanoke, That's about 3 or 4 hours from DC if you can not find one there. Praying you will find the cause.;)

[Yoboney]

"Diabetes blindness" is something that strikes typically decades down the road. Don't worry about it. If you were so high it may be a problem sooner, they'd have dxed you by now.

High sugars can make one blurry. There's plenty of anecdotal evidence on here. It is a short term symptom with no severe side effects except for running your car through walls. I've seen many posts where vision did clear after getting sugars controlled. But if yours are controlled, it tells me you have an unexplained gooey vitreous. Have you been microwaving your head? :whistling

I never knew that the diabetes blindness was years down the road. All I know is that my left eye has gone from 20/30 to 20/200 and is blurry as all get out..lol I haven't been microwaving my head but my mom said that it was probably from me using the cell phones so much. I guess the radiation from the cell phones have fried my eye. Does diabetes make your eye hurt? I get strange pains and so far not one doc has any clue. Thanks:D

[Yoboney]

Again do any of the doctors specialize in problems with the retina? This is a very technical area and different from other eye specilities. Be sure to ask your docs if they are specilist in the retina! If not ask them to send you to one please. There are some very good ones at the Vistar Eye Center here in Roanoke, That's about 3 or 4 hours from DC if you can not find one there. Praying you will find the cause.;)

I think they have all claimd to be experts in the field but I will have to ask around. I know they love the money I have to give them...the new bred of doctors doesn't seem to be like Marcus Welby anymore...they just want my money..:( All I know is that they all put these special headsets on and seem to stand on one foot and say ummhmm a lot..then no idea why I can't see. The last test I had the computer that they first took a reading of my eyes could not even read the left eye at all...bizarre. That is why after I had a few skin sores that I thought...diabetes that was not dx. I guess we will see. That is a horrible pun.

Brad