Could "kind of high" bg's cause eye problems?

MinimedPumper07 · #1 (**permalink**) 01-08-2008, 10:08 PM

Over the past few months my eyes have been going down hill. My a1c used to be low 5's, then it went to high 5's, and now its low-mid 6's. I would say my average bg is usually 140-150. I can no longer wear contacts because I see lots of double and my eyes dry out really quickly. Also floaters have gone from 1 or 2 to like 50. Could having your bg's be in the mid 100's do this? My eyesight really sucks. I have always had a high myopia but diabetes isnt helping anything...

condensr · #2 (**permalink**) 01-08-2008, 10:24 PM

Anything is possible, but its highly unlikely. The only way to tell is to go get a dialated eye exam.

I've had D over 10 years now, and a lot of that time my control was terrible (much much higher than 100s), and my eye exams have been clear. No symptoms with my eyes either. When my control was poor, and I had lots of big fluctuations, sometimes my vision would get a little off due to the large swings (<100 to >300). This cleared up as soon as things stabilized. (i.e., the next morning.)

Get the exam, and if its clear, relax, enjoy life, and don't worry about it.

morrisma · #3 (**permalink**) 01-09-2008, 01:03 PM

Any other meds in the picture?
I've read that ED meds can cause this.
Mike

cheryl · #4 (**permalink**) 01-09-2008, 01:06 PM

Cannot answer this one, because even though it states that we if we keep our bg's in check have a minimal chance of eye issue's well....there are tons of people that still have eye issue's and kept their bg's in check, while other's have not kept their bg's in check and never had a single one....

It's one of the ymmv things......

Cheryl

BlueSky · #5 (**permalink**) 01-09-2008, 01:14 PM

There are two effects here. Poor control can lead to retinopathy, which would show up in a dilated eye exam. It takes a long time to develop and in the early stages, retinopathy doesn't affect the vision. So it doesn't sound like this is the problem. High blood sugar can also cause the shape of the lense to change, causing blurry vision. And it happens immediately. But blood sugar needs to be really high for that to happen - over 200 in my experience. Your control is still fairly good, so maybe there is something else going on.

CliveL · #6 (**permalink**) 01-09-2008, 01:25 PM

My vision has certainly improved since diagnosis at first I needed +2 reading glasses now I rarely wear +1 glasses

Maddogg · #7 (**permalink**) 01-09-2008, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MinimedPumper07

My a1c used to be low 5's, then it went to high 5's, and now its low-mid 6's. I would say my average bg is usually 140-150.

Your a1c results are pretty darn good, anything below 6 is Excellent! I don't think that your bg results would directly result in the eye problems your speaking off...

The only way to be sure is to book an appointment with an optometrist or an opthamalogist for a drop test, where they'll dilate your pupils and take a good and thorough look inside your eyes for any damage. If there is damage resulting from higher blood sugars they should definitely be able to tell, and if any damage is present they can also start some treatment for it. Sooner is better than later in this situation so if possible get your eyes checked by a qualified professional asap!

TenderVittleS · #8 (**permalink**) 01-09-2008, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CliveL

My vision has certainly improved since diagnosis at first I needed +2 reading glasses now I rarely wear +1 glasses

Mine as well, I was really surprised that my vision actually got better, I was so worried, but thank God nothing drastic yet. Sometimes I can see like a hawk, its weird.