Retinopathy Puns

Diabetic Retinopathy is a term I heard when I started this journey over 20 years ago. Take care of yourself or you could lose your eyes. It came as a warning, something to not fear but rather understand. Today I said hello to the consequences of my actions and let me tell you it was not fun.

Over the years I’ve never had consistent control over my diabetes some months it would be good other times it would be wildly out of control. This past visit with my eye doctor they told me that I would have to see a specialist due to concerning images of my eye and my stomach sank hearing the news.

The specialist said hey we are going to try a laser procedure to nip this in the bud before it gets worse and with better control you won’t have to worry. So today was my first session and it was horribly uncomfortable. I couldn’t finish it, I had to schedule another session because it was that bad. One eye dilated, a super bright light in your eye, a green laser flashing every second on top of that…

Take care of yourself so you can avoid it. Now that I’ve gone through some of the procedure I’m going to take better care of myself so I can avoid further issues. Hopefully it’s not too late.

I saw an ophthalmologist yesterday for the first time in years, because of a ‘floater’ in my left eye that has been effecting my vision, among other things. He found swelling in the blood vessels along with bleeding in the left eye, which is what I’ve been seeing in my vision. He said treatment is necessary, likely laser-work but potentially surgical.

I just turned 24. I’ve been T1 since I was 3. Due to mental health issues I allowed myself to stop prioritizing my health and I can’t begin to describe how much I regret that. Over this year I’ve worked to improve my blood sugars and the overall priority that I give my health, and this has still happened. I feel like I’m too young for this to be happening and I’m so stressed and scared thinking of the permanent damage I’ve allowed to happen to my body.

I’m not looking for medical advice or anything, I just wanted to vent for a moment I guess, and offer my own advice to anyone else feeling overwhelmed or burnt out by this disease: Please ask for help. Please seek help. I know that overall, what I’m going through is not that bad, and I’m still so scared. There are consequences to your actions and eventually it’ll catch up with you. There are doctors, friends, and family available to help you manage this disease and if you need help then please seek it. If you’re strong enough to live with this disease, then you don’t deserve things like this to happen to you.

Sorry for my rant, much love to you all and take care of yourselves.

Hi everyone,

I'm sorry for the wordy post. I think I'm mainly making this post to vent as a recent event has gotten me really stressed and it's going to take time for me to figure out and honestly I'm just really scared.

I'm about to turn 23 and I've had type 1 diabetes for about 12 years now. I've generally taken fairly good care of it but have been to less doctor appointments in general since the pandemic started. I've been doing my best to be on top of everything and my a1c is a little high at 7.6 but it's stayed around that value (never in double digits and never near like a 9 that I can remember) for a long time and I keep trying to get it lower with my doctor's help.

I went to my yearly eye appointment yesterday and the doctor saw a small light spot on my right retina and said it might be the start of diabetic retinopathy but she told me she wasn't going to dilate my eyes to check it and she would do that if I came back in a month. I'm calling a retina specialist because while she said my retinas look healthy otherwise and she's not really worried about it, she was kind of short on answering my questions and it concerns me that my eyes weren't dilated to get it looked at more.

I guess overall besides wanting to vent, I'm curious if someone else has caught this kind of stuff this early and if so, how it worked out for you? I haven't had any symptoms like floaters or anything yet. I'm really scared about going blind in that eye now and I'm currently in the middle of going to school for veterinary medicine so I'm really scared it's going to have a negative effect on my ability to become a vet in the future. Overall, I'm just terrified on what's going to happen and while I know there are treatments to prevent progression, the research I've done on them doesn't typically tell me how fast the issue progresses with those treatments.

Thanks for anyone who has read this. You all seem really nice in this community and any hopefulness you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

So I’ve received injections in both my eyes from swelling in my eye. I was making progress but I decided to make an apt a few days ago bc i noticed my right eye was getting worse. I just left my apt and they said I’m going to need to start getting the shots every 6-8 weeks for a while bc of how bad my eyes are getting. Anyone else have to get eye injections here?

I feel so overwhelmed and I want to give up so badly. I’m only 20 for crying out loud… I don’t want to go blind bc of my own consequences. I grew up resenting myself for getting diabetes and used that as some sort of vendetta with me? My diabetes? Idk but I’m just now tryingggg to start taking care of myself. I quit smoking and I’ve been using my dexcom as best i can. I struggle with this guys. So much. I try to act so strong but Ik this disease will get the best of me one day.

Im so sorry for how dark this got… I’m just rlly scared and want to give up. I feel like a failure to myself. Ik it’s not too late to change and make a difference, but I feel like if it’s isn’t one thing, it’s another. How do you guys deal with the struggles and motivation to want better for yourself? I just need/want help. Thank you guys ((‘:

I’ve had chronic CSR for years and after having exhausted all options I have just found something that seems to be working but I’m only N-of-1 so I’m trying to find more research on the topic.

I have been supplementing daily 55mg per kg of body weight of pharmaceutical grade MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) which I was taking for something else entirely, but now my vision is improving dramatically which was completely unexpected.

I stoped the MSM supplementation for a few weeks as soon as I noticed a minor improvement because I ran out. As soon as I got my next bottle and started supplementing again my vision continued to improve.

I can’t find any studies on the use of MSM to treat CSR. Is anyone aware of any research in this area? If there hasn’t been any such study conducted then would it be possible for me to fund such a study? How would I go about this?

Well, by success I mean I managed to get all the treatment carried out in one appointment whereas they normally take two due to the pain/discomfort. I have a follow up appointment in a month to see how the laser has benefited my retinopathy.

The weirdest thing about it was not being able to move my eye or lid at all, then there was slight pain and soreness but nothing as bad as I expected. I think it helps that I suffer from recurring uveitis which can be pretty bad pain wise, so I'm used to discomfort.

For background, I've been T1 for nearly 25 years. I'm 32F diagnosed when I was 8. Had poor control up until my mid twenties, with mild background changes in the eye. A couple of years ago this got worse, doctors think because I got my HbA1c down too quickly - went from 11% to 7.8% (around 140 I think) in about two years.

Sucks to get eye problems not just despite the good control but due to it but hopefully I won't require much laser if any at all in the future and at least my other organs won't suffer.

For anyone who's been told to get laser or are waiting for it - please go! Early treatment can really make a difference.

My son currently has a mild case (tho it is progressing) of retinopathy, and they did injections into his eyes today. He'll continue with weekly check ups and they mentioned he will likely need laser treatment when he is about 60 weeks old, which would be around this time next year. The doctor made it sound like it was very treatable, but just wanted to see if any one had experiences they would like to share.

In 2019 and 2020 I did a mix of skipping lots of injections (some days I would only have my basal) and also overdosing on insulin. Skipping injections caused me to be hospitalised for DKA in April 2020. I'm doing a lot better now and I have 4 injections every day (granted I often just pick a random amount of insulin that sounds good and don't carb count but I'm working on that and it's a huge improvement imo).

Anyway I had my eye screening the other week and just opened the results. Background retinopathy so it's not serious yet but I have done damage to myself. I knew deep down that I had probably done some damage but until the eye screening all my check ups had been fine. I'd started to think I got lucky. Maybe i am still lucky? Just not as lucky as I had hoped.

I don't really know much about background retinopathy but the letter says that I don't need treatment, it shouldn't affect my eyesight and I just need to reduce my risk of it getting worse. I'm guessing there's no way to undo the damage already done which sucks because I'm only 22 but you play stupid games, win stupid prizes :')

I just got back from an eye check up at the hospital that was booked by my diabetes nurse and found out I have mild diabetic retinopathy in my right eye. The ophthalmologist said something quite casual about some bleeding blood vessels, I should come back in 6 months and sent me on my way with a letter that stated the diagnosis.

Even though she seemed very blasé it’s my eyesight and I’m now terrified this is going to progress quickly and that I should get a second opinion on whether I should be seen again sooner. I’ve been diabetic for almost exactly 3 years with great control, and whilst this is my second pregnancy during this time - I’ve never had any issues with my eyes noted before. My A1C at diagnosis was only 8 (it was found by fluke and right after developing) and since then has never been above 6. So I’m concerned that pregnancy is more of an accelerator than high sugars.

What would you do in this situation?

If you've been diagnosed, what has been your experience? What steps have you taken after diagnosis?

Been dealing with this adventure for about 2.5 years now. Lost right eye in January from a failed vitrectomy and now home from work thanks to my left eye bleeding internally.

What blows is I just bought a car about 2 months ago since nothing major had happened and left eye was seeing quite well. That lasted until last Tuesday. Now, I can't drive and don't know when I will get to again., It took nearly a year after last bleed before I felt confident enough to drive.

I see my dr again next Thursday, but doubt I will be cleared to drive. Probably will have to give car back and probably won't attempt driving again. Just never know when something will happen and last thing I need is left eye to bleed out while I'm driving.

The other thing that sucks is I may end up losing my job at the end of the year. I work 2nd shift and it's too expensive to use Uber/taxi full time. That would run me about $700 a month. The coworker I was getting rides with earlier this year is retiring at the end of December. There won't be anyone else available to get rides from. Despite my pleas to get on first shift where I have more transportation options, my boss refuses to move me. My job is also very physical and this recent bleed happened after I simply bent over.

I feel very lost in this adventure. No guidance from anyone. I'm basically in limbo because I can see well enough to not get disability. The available treatments are too expensive and my insurance doesn't help enough to make them affordable. But, with my retinopathy so advanced, I don't have the options available as someone who had theirs caught early in the game.

My folks keep offering to let me move back home with them, but I'm 39 years old. I don't want to live with them for the rest of their lives. I just don't know what to do. It feels like once the first of the year gets here, my life will come crashing down and lose everything.

I wish I had made better life choices.

What were your first symptoms of autoimmune retinopathy and did you see static and a million white blood cells qhen you looked at the sky

Last year my left eye was showing background retinopathy. I’ve just received my results for this year and I now have retinopathy in both eyes. I live in a country where I don’t speak the language fluently, so the only details they could really give me were that the right eye is “very mild, barely noticeable” and the left eye is “much more obvious”. I also have a small bleed in the left eye. They haven’t recommended any treatment yet.

My story is the same as many on here. Diagnosed at 16, fell off my bg checking and insulin routine at 18 due to burnout and teenage silliness, but then took it even further by developing an eating disorder at 19. Obviously I am caring for my sugars now - I check regularly, exercise and eat extremely low carb.

Just wondering if it’s too late for me, or whether anyone has any advice on how to keep my vision healthy outside of staying within range.

Greetings,

I (39m) am not quite blind, but getting there. Was DX'd with Prolific Retinopathy with Macular Edema in both eyes about 2.5 years ago. Since then, I have had 7 laser sessions and a failed vitrectomy. Currently home from work due to a recent bleed event involving left eye which will likely lead to surgery in January.

This adventure has been moving at a faster pace than I can keep up with. I am down to one "good" eye since the failed surgery earlier this year. Stopped driving last October, then bought a car in August since good eye was doing good. Drove it for two months before good eye got a major bleed from simply bending over at work. Now I'm working on getting the car returned and trying to figure out other transportation options on getting to work.

I'm not sure how much longer my left eye has before it's done, too. It already has a birth defect where retina did not fully develop and that has created a blind spot that cuts out about 25% of the vision in that eye. In addition, I see random spots through vision that range in white, blue, red, green and black. Also get an occasional flash of light. The refresh rate of that eye is low, too, where static images linger in vision longer than they should. I can take a pen light and draw shapes in that eye, like one would with sparklers at night.

I feel very lost with this situation and getting help has been hit and miss. I've seen a vision rehab dr 3 times now and so far, they have not offered anything beneficial. I've tried using various colors of sunglasses to no avail. Visual acuity changes with the environment. I can't stay outside or under bright lights for too long, otherwise my vision gets very blurry.

I know, personally, I have changed a lot. Thunderstorms freak me out and I get startled by the slightest sounds sometimes. I can hear things I used to not hear and I cannot handle being in crowded situations with lots of people. It's like my brain can't filter the noise and it all goes in at once. I also find myself staying isolated a lot. It sucks living alone and not having anyone to talk to on a regular basis. Even when I work, I work night shift alone 99% of the time.

Anyways, has anyone else been down a similar road? If so, how did you handle it and were you able to get the help you needed to make the transition into blindness a little easier? I have no idea what kind of time frame I have left with my left eye, I just know things aren't getting better and I'm already sick of the way th

My eye exam is scheduled for the 15th but I'm really anxious about retinopathy. I was dx'd in April of this year and at night I see streaks from light sources, like if you put on 3D glasses.

I could use some hopefulness.

Hi! New here.

I went to get an eye exam after years of not having one (think the last time I went I was 17 ehe). I noticed about 2 years ago that my vision seemed to be getting worse. It was getting blurrier. I wanted to schedule an eye exam but I get anxious with talking on the phone to people, so I never did.

I had a habit of looking up symptoms of diabetes and saw that worsening vision was one. I had other symptoms like itchiness/rash and dark patches. I had gone to the doctor a few times to talk to them about these things, and they said it was dry skin. They'd schedule labs for me, and they'd come back fine as far as blood sugar. My last lab was 5 months ago and my a1c levels were fine. 5 months is a long time, but my blood sugar levels were ok, so I wasn't super worried.

Went in for an eye exam today and I had pictures taken of my retinas. It was optional, but I wanted it done just because. Doctor looked at them and said it looked like I had uncontrolled diabetes. There were dark spots on my retinas and some white stuff, which the doctor said was vitreous fluid. He said it was supposed to be clear, but instead it was white, which was a sign of DR. I'm supposed to see a specialist for my eyes next month.

I'm really worried about my vision. Hoping I can get lab work done again soon. I know there's more for me to worry about and the answers are obvious, but... where do I go from here?

I've had T1D since I was 6 years old. I am 27 now. My parents helped me take care of my diabetes until I was 8 and then it was all left to me. That being said I didn't actually start taking care of myself until this year in January when I was diagnosed with severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy. (Minus my two pregnancies I obsessed over my blood sugar and taking care of myself) I've been depressed my whole life and went untreated. Depression and diabetes are a deadly combination. It wasn't until my diagnosis that I realized I'm not invincible! I got my a1c down from a 9 to a 6.9 and taking care of myself has been it's own medicine for depression. I am a lot happier and healthier...or so I thought. This last week I wake up with numb hands and sometimes it burns. My vision is blurry and I see black dots for the first 5 minutes. I've been getting shots in my eyes that started 2 every month and now I go every 5 weeks. According to my dr Friday should be my last shot and then surgery. I do not feel this will be the case... I've only talked to 1 other person who has the same eye problem as me and they have to go for the REST of their life for these shots....when I first started going the dr told me young people eventually give up and quit coming and they end up going blind. Then she tells me there is no circulation in my left eye so there is no point in surgery...then she tells me my left eye is great and my right eye is lagging.

I guess I'm just here to ask....if you guys have severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy do you have to get shots for the rest of your life? Is my dr giving me false hope?! She's never given me a clear answer. Is there an end to my eyeball being stabbed with a needle?! 😭

I have had type 1 diabetes since February of 2020 (I was 15, now 17) and wanna know if most diabetics go blind. I know diabetic retinopathy is a big thing but do most people get it if they have diabetes or is it possible to have healthy eyes for my life and keep my vision normal without getting it in the future.

I've got T1D (service connected) and I've started to develop diabetic retinopathy. I've been looking to increase my disability rating as a result of having to get intra-ocular injections. According to this site, these are the criteria:

• 10%: With documented incapacitating episodes requiring at least one but less than three treatment visits for an eye condition during the past 12 months
• 20%: With documented incapacitating episodes requiring at least three but less than five treatment visits for an eye condition during the past 12 months
• 40%: With documented incapacitating episodes requiring at least five but less than seven treatment visits for an eye condition during the past 12 months
• 60%: With documented incapacitating episodes requiring seven or more treatment visits for an eye condition during the past 12 months

However, according to this site, the criteria are:

• 60%—Veterans who experience incapacitating episodes that last a total duration of at least 6 weeks during the past 12 months can receive the 60 percent rating.
• 40%—The 40 percent rating is given to veterans who experience incapacitating episodes that last a total duration of at least 4 weeks, but less than 6 weeks, during the past 12 months.
• 20%—Veterans rated at 20 percent experience incapacitating episodes that last at least 2 weeks, but less than 4 weeks, during the past 12 months.
• 10%—To receive the 10 percent rating, veterans will need to experience incapacitating episodes that last a total duration of at least 1 week, but less than 2 weeks, during the past 12 months.

I've had 7 injections as the problem has lasted roughly 7-ish months, but - what do they go by? How many injections I've had, or how many weeks it's lasted? I can see how there's some overlap, but the two timeframes are vastly different.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Been Type 1 for over 30 years.

Diabetic retinopathy has deposition of various exudates that leak out of the retinal capillary and deposit in the various layers of the retina. These don't appear star shaped.

Hypertensive retinopathy presents with lipid deposits that present as "macular star"—supposedly forcefully pushed out of the retinal vessels due to the hypertension.

Why won't macular star also happen with the leaky vessels in diabetic retinopathy?

I get my eyes dilated every 6 months and had imaging done 2 years ago. So far so good knock on wood. But 2 years is a long time and after reading horror stories about misdiagnoses due to no imaging, I’m terrified I’ve been missing problems. I had a dilation done in April and apparently all was good, but I read that dilation can only show 15% of your eye. I’ve been a type 1 diabetic for 15 years and my A1c has been between a 5.7-6.2 the past 2 years, and before that it was almost always under 6.5.

Anyway, I have imaging with my diabetic eye doctor scheduled for 2 months because I couldn’t get a sooner appt, a dilation with my other ophthalmologist in a week. I’ve had multiple eye doctors say that with new technology and good control that retinopathy is not inevitable, but people on the internet (including a mean eye doctor in a subreddit) have said otherwise. Need some positive stories please! About not having retinopathy, or having it but being ok.

Recently diagnosed and well kinda shocking on the effect of retinopathy to your eyes. Previously a 20/20 now I find it difficult reading small texts. What about you guys?.

I'm very nervous 😳

I have heard some people improves after a while, how is that possible? Does the retina regenerate?

Anyone else have the misfortunate of Diabetic Retinopathy?
My eye doc has kept it at bay for a very long time but when I'm sick (currently with a sinus infection) I really can tell as my eyes get super blurry.