1.5 years ago I was diagnosed with my first major diabetic complication. Minimal Diabetic retinopathy of the right eye (described as a small dot)
I went again today and no change, so good I suppose and he stated no change and see him in a year. (major anxiety for the last year).
Well I just read a further notation on my evaluation from today that I have Drusen, retina left eye.(he said nothing) and no treatment required on the written evaluation. I just looked it up and not frightful but still a concern.
I am leading to this question, does anyone take any certain vitamins or nutrients for their diabetic eyes? I forgot to question the MD.
In 1978, when I was 29, I was told by an ophthalmologist that I had one leaking blood vessel in my right eye. In 1984, I noticed a large floater in my left eye at coffee break, and at lunchtime I lost the sight in my left eye. Over the next four or five years I lost the sight in one eye or the other several times, and for a week was blind in both eyes. Through a long course of retinal photocoagulation (16 treatments of several hundred shots each) I have recovered my eyesight and have had little trouble with it since then. I like to say I've taken more laser fire than the Starship Enterprise. I can see more than well enough to drive, and have only a little loss of peripheral vision. The eye is a marvellous device, and can compensate for all the holes in your retina.
Anyway, the point of this long biographical epic is that I don't believe anything I ate or didn't eat could have prevented this. I've seen diabetics who are very persnickety about their diets lose their legs, and diabetics that don't give a damn continue on unscathed. I was drinking heavily at the time I lost my sight, and that probably didn't help.
I think the best you can do is to pay attention to what your doctors are telling you, and visit the optam.. ophtao... ophthama... eye doctor at least once a year. If you start to have problems you need to get on top of it early. My complications started after 15 years with diabetes, and I have heard, anecdotally, that is common for T1s.
Watch the BGs, follow your doctor's advice, and best wishes with your condition.
A year ago, at LensCrafters, they found one bleeder. I asked the Optometrist what they'd do about it and she said "nothing" so I figured I'd just wait until the following year and switch to an ophthalmologist. I figured I'd go with the Wheaton Eye Clinic as I'd gone there when I was first dx'ed (and it was "really important for diabetics to get their eyes checked every year!") and was shocked that I was still in their computer from like 1985 or whenever I'd last gone there [they didn't have dx date though, darn it!].
This year the doc found there to be three bleeders and I was thinking "holy #@#%" and asked what they had to do and she said that if you have like 100, they'd consider lasering it then. I also asked if I should eat more spinach or kale or carrots or whatever and she said "well, you should eat those because they are good for you but they won't do anything about this...."
I emailed my eye doctor questioning him about the Drusen and why it was not on the last written exam.
"The drusen temporal to the macula in the left eye were first noted by me in 11/96. They are fairly insignificant and are nothing to worry about. The minimal diabetic retinopathy in the right eye was first noted in 11/12 and is unchanged. You can take a multivitamin or an eye vitamin if you so choose."
If you're not seeing a retinologist I would fine one immediately. The best one in your area or travel if you have to. Don't trust your vision to a regular eye md, they aren't competent to treat this. I take lutein supplements and various other supplements. My dr.(a retionologist) had a flyer about medication for people with diabetic eye issues but I can't remember the name at the moment.
This isn’t something to leave to an optometrist. An ophthalmologist is qualified to make decisions about your eyes. I was lucky. A young colleague of mine lost her eyesight very quickly after first being diagnosed with retinopathy. Don’t mess with it.
