So today I was changing my tire on my car, yay flat tires, anyways, while I was changing it I noticed in the corner of my left eye this area that I can only describe it as a black hole in my vision. At the time, I was straining with my tire iron thing, but I’ve noticed it’s still a little blurry. All of my vision screenings have been clear- no retinopathy. My last a1c was 11.2, now I’m down in the 8’s according to the at home test. Is this maybe just eye strain or should i be concerned? At the time my BG was 348 and I was coming down if that makes a difference…
I would have your eye checked just to be safe. xo
My doc has a device to check the field of vision. You look at the spot in the middle and then a small white spot will appear somewhere. If you can see the spot you will have to press a button and the next white spot will appear - all computer controlled. This way a map of you vision is generated. It will show the areas where your vision is impaired and the area you describe as a black spot will be revealed for sure. I recommend to ask for this specific test.
11 to 8 is pretty large drop in A1c, Congrats! Unfortunately, there does seem to be a known issue with dropping averages too fast, in that it will tend to lead to various symptoms, such as eye issues. The good news is that it’s only temporary, and with continued good control, which you seem to be on the path to, the symptoms go away! Mostly. It’s a grey area I guess, no definite answers. When I was dx’d at close to 15% a1c, and dropped to 9-10% range in first few months, I had horrible eye problems, blind spots, floaters, extreme light sensitivity (i had to wear sunglasses at night to drive!)… i saw specialist eye doc and thankfully it seems i dodged the retinopathy issue and it was just temporary phase as my body adjusted back to normal blood sugar levels. I just had follow up with a 2nd eye doctor yesterday in fact and was given the “all clear, come back in a year” routine. Warm damp washcloth over eyes for 10mins few times a day while resting helps a lot, multiple eye docs have told me to do that and it does seem to help.
I would see the Dr. I’m not sure of your history, but even with your excellent progress an A1c of 8 is still in the range for complications. If, indeed, this is a D related issue you want to know and address it as early as possible.I had similar issues and did not know (thought the problems were related to my scrip) and now I am paying the price. It may not be a D problem, but you don’t want to let it go if it is.
Keep doing what you are to bring your BG in line. I went from 12.3 in November of last year to 5.6 in Feb. At the time I was in a panic to stop the damage and didn’t know that such a quick drop can make symptoms worse. It did, but it was temporary. My last A1c was 5.4 and both my retinopathy and PN have greatly improved. But I have had 3 injections and 2 laser surgeries on my eyes during this time. Better, but not yet like the good old days.
I have to tell you, straining can cause a surge in blood pressure. It may be nothing, but it still warrants having it checked out. It could be a small bleed or something else. I would be safe and make an appointment with the opthamologist.
I have had all manner of eye bleeds in the last 12 months. That’s what this situation sounds like. When I see a black shadow down in the corner of my eye, I know I have had another one. Blood in your eye actually looks black like India ink and the blurriness you see is probably traces of blood floating around in the vitreous gel. This will eventually dissipate but you do need to get into a diabetic eye specialist ASAP. I had no changes in my eyes for 24 years. Then all of a sudden last year all hell broke loose. When things start happening in yours eyes, they can happen very quickly. Don’t let it go.
A drop in blood pressure while doing work and sitting down and then getting up etc. is something that’s affected me in the past and is called “postural hypotension”. Keeping properly hydrated helps me avoid that. But yes, at the time I’ve been affected by postural hypotension I’ve had my vision black out briefly. And the easiest way to “bring it on” was always for me to squat down for a while and then stand up, I can see that happening while changing a tire real easy.