Do you have eye problems due to diabetes? Introduce yourself!

I have had type 1 for 53 years. No complications until 2010. Had a torn retina in my right eye, had 2 Vectrectomies which now has caused cataracts. Currently my vision in the right eye is 20/50. Here is my real problem…my left …due to a torn retina with vitreous hemoraging, I’ve had 3 Vectrectomies Dec 2013, February 2014 ( folded retina w/vitreous bleeding he did a skalural buckle ) and March 2014 another Vectrectomy with silicon inserted. I still have the silicone in my left eye. Should I have cataract surgery in my right eye? I’m afraid I will end up totally blind. Has anyone else had experiences like mine?

Hi my name is vikki. I have been having issues for a,while with retinopathy. I have had laser and a vitrectomy in my right eye. My bleeds,go from one eye to the,other. It’s driving me crazy. After the first lucentis shot I had,tge vitrectomy. I was told I wouldn’t have the bleeds. But nothing has a guarantee. I got a few,shots and had a very painful 2,weeks after the injection. My eye pressure never went back to normal. So I had to use drops. Nothing major but I needed,the drops. Could not use the lucentis so the shorts stopped. This week I went back to the Dr. ,because,I had another bleed. He,looked in the other eye with a,photo which he,showed me. It was,the scariest thing I ever saw. Looked like a red road map. He told me that this new drug called Eylea was,just approved for Diabetic eye. So I got the shoy. No pain no tearing and no light sensitivity. I’m hoping the vessels have calmed down.,
Everyone is different so u may want to try,the injections. I am sure I will have,to start them regularly. I wish u luck. PS trying to figure the new site out. Not having much luck

Hi there. T1 for 24 years, on a pump for 11.

In March of 2004, I was dx’d with retinopathy. In May, the bleeders started in my left eye and we started in-office laser treatments in that eye. I also had bilateral diabetic cataracts, which made the laser a little extra challenging because the cataracts had a tendency to scatter the light pulse. In July, the bleeders started in the second eye, smack in the center of my macula. At the time I lived with my parents but they were out of state so I was alone and blind for 4 days. I took my syringes, my insulins, a ziplok baggie and the box the baggies came in, called a cab to the pharmacy and had them draw me 4 days worth of lantus and 4 days worth of the same number of units of Humalog, and kept them separated in the fridge until my parents got home.

Anyway. In August I had vitrectomy on my left eye, the first one that had bled. They did a gas bubble, removed the cataract, did laser repairs and a scleral buckle. I was then on my face for 4 weeks, until I could see the edge of the bubble when I sat up. In November I got a temporary contact lens, then they did the permanent lens implant December 10. December 27 they did all procedures from the first vitrectomy on the second (right) eye and I then spent 7 weeks on my face. Nearly no vision, but the capsule in my eye had scarred so thickly that they did a surgical capsulectomy to try to let more light in, because the YAG laser couldn’t break through it. Unfortunately it didn’t help because the retina was just too far gone. The ciliary body in that eye was also damaged, and I therefore could not hold up pressure, size or shape, thus my eye shrank. Today I wear a prosthetic in front of the native eye so the lid will open normally instead of only about halfway.

So that’s my complication journey. I haven’t been at TuD long but I already love it here. Hopefully we can get to know each other even better.

ETA: almost forgot, I also have closed-angle glaucoma in my good eye that I had an iridotomy for a few years ago and I take a drop for it today. Doc said closed-angle doesn’t usually show up in an eye that has been opened surgically, but hey. My body takes great pride in defying the conventional wisdom for spite.

My name is John and discovered that I had retinopathy three years ago.
At the time my doc said it wasn’t that bad and it would get better.
We did laser treatment for two years with no real effect and begun injections.
I’ve been doing injections for about a year and recently I had some blood leak in my left eye causing floaters and squiggles.
It was diminishing and then this morning there was a white kind of floater

If it’s getting better why do I keep getting floaters
What is the white floater a result of?

Not yet but a referral to a diabetic opthamologist is a must.

I was diagnosed with retinopathy in my right eye in 1997 at age 18. I didn’t change anything in my BG control for many years, and for about 8 years in my twenties and early 30’s I had no health insurance. Well, it was during that time that I ended up noticing a huge decline in my vision as well as blood globs in my vision and flashes of light, etc…

Finally, in my 35th year, I got insurance again and went to a retina specialist. At this time I was diagnosed with Proliferative Diabetic Retiopathy in both eyes; my right eye was worse off. During the year of 2014 I underwent 4 invasive surgeries on my right eye and had several laser treatments in both eyes as well.

Over the years since I have been getting regular Avastin injections in my left eye to keep it stable.

As of today I am almost completely blind in my right eye (I can perceive light and movement), and my left eye is slowly deteriorating despite the Avastin injections, although it has helped a lot to slow progression, I just waited too long to straighten up my BG control and get help for my vision (thanks to no insurance those 8 years).

I don’t have eye problems yet. I did just have an angiogram at the diabetic opthamologist office though.

You sit there while they inject contrast into a vein and then while they film your eye, on a computer screen right next to you, there is a giant 3d eyeball. Pretty cool.

Then later your urine is bright yellow. Again cool.

Hello,

My name is Katie and my partner Daniel is the diabetic we are going through hell and back with eye complications!
He is 23 years old, type 1 insulin dependant and has been this since age 9!

He started getting bleeds in his eyes back in 2016 few courses of laser but this was a painful experience. His left eye is doing well having monthly injections and slight lasering here and there. However his right eye got worse and worse we was referred to an eye surgery- he decided that a Vitrectomy was the only option to save his sight in his right eye.

Operation was booked for May 22nd 2017 a week before surgery he had a huge bleed in his eye and lost all vision. The operation went ahead as planned 3 hour of surgery and a gas bubble later he was home. There was no immediate change to his vision. Over the 1st 2 weeks he began to see a little from the edge to middle of his eye.

Week 3 he woke up and again had lost all sight!!! We went straight to the hospital and they advised the gas bubble had popped as it should but it has taken the retina away with it. So he had to have the same operation again that day June 18th 2017 this time they put in an oil base instead of gas.

Recovery continue and when going for his 3 weekly check up we were gutted to leanr yet again the retina had become to redetatched. So Daniel under went his 3rd operation on 13th June 2017 this time again with a gas bubble.

Recovery with the gas bubble is long and painful he is having to lay flat head down for 40 out of 60 minutes each hour. He has no vision still and we are loosing hope and faith that he will ever get his sight back.

All 3 of these operations have been in the last 8 weeks as you can image we he is sore and fed up! Having to take so much time off work for appointments and operations is tough and general his mental wellbeing is not great. This is not ideal for anyone but when you are 23 it is hard to feel "normal"
How many times do we go through this? Do we seek a second opinion? Do we accept that this is how life is?

Really hope anyone out there has experience or knowledge of this and how many attempts they had at surgery and what everyone thinks about the situation we are in.

Have things improved any for your boyfriend since you posted? I hope so. There are wonderful technologies for maintaining good vision. Hang in there. Things usually stabilize and are not so bad.