Retinopathy results - not good?

[Bitstreams]

I got my annual retinopathy test results through the post today and
was quite surprised when it said

"your diabetes has caused some damage to the small vessels at the back
of your eyes. At present, it does not need treatment and is not
affecting your sight. However, we do need to monitor the damage
because if the blood vessels leak, it could spoil your vision"

bugger !

They're calling me back again in 4 months time. Has anyone else been
through this and can give me pointers?

Simon

[Flying Rat]

Post by Bitstreams
I got my annual retinopathy test results through the post today and
was quite surprised when it said
"your diabetes has caused some damage to the small vessels at the back
of your eyes. At present, it does not need treatment and is not
affecting your sight. However, we do need to monitor the damage
because if the blood vessels leak, it could spoil your vision"
bugger !
They're calling me back again in 4 months time. Has anyone else been
through this and can give me pointers?
Simon

Yep, been like that for years as well. Nothing major happened to me,
except a referral to an eye specialist who took a dig around with her
fancy camera and sent me packing.

if it's just early changes they keep a note of it and ask you to get
your regular eye exams at the opticians (nowadays they want it done at
one who has the digital camera gear), plus a poke around at the diabetes
clinic.

Ratty

[Robert Billing]

I got my annual retinopathy test results through the post today and was
quite surprised when it said
"your diabetes has caused some damage to the small vessels at the back of
your eyes. At present, it does not need treatment and is not affecting
your sight. However, we do need to monitor the damage because if the blood
vessels leak, it could spoil your vision"

I got something similar a couple of years ago. I went along to the
followup appointment, despite the efforts of a receptionist to send me to
the wrong hospital. The specialist peered at my eye through a thing a bit
like the periscope on a nuclear submarine.

(Insert dramatic pause here.)

"There's nothing wrong at all. (Mutter.) The people who assess the photos
have gone off at half-cock AGAIN!"

And the receptionist, when challenged, said "I from Thpain. No speeka da
eeenglish."

I sometimes feel I'm missing the point of Blair's Britain.

[Andy Hall]

On 2007-06-12 19:18:17 +0100, Robert Billing

Post by Robert Billing

I got my annual retinopathy test results through the post today and was
quite surprised when it said
"your diabetes has caused some damage to the small vessels at the back of
your eyes. At present, it does not need treatment and is not affecting
your sight. However, we do need to monitor the damage because if the blood
vessels leak, it could spoil your vision"

I got something similar a couple of years ago. I went along to the
followup appointment, despite the efforts of a receptionist to send me to
the wrong hospital. The specialist peered at my eye through a thing a bit
like the periscope on a nuclear submarine.
(Insert dramatic pause here.)
"There's nothing wrong at all. (Mutter.) The people who assess the photos
have gone off at half-cock AGAIN!"

Better perhaps that they report a false positive though?

Post by Robert Billing
And the receptionist, when challenged, said "I from Thpain. No speeka da
eeenglish."

Count yourself lucky that she isn't working in a hotel putting sheets
on your bed.

Post by Robert Billing
I sometimes feel I'm missing the point of Blair's Britain.

I wouldn't worry too much. So is he.

[DaveT]

Post by Robert Billing

I got my annual retinopathy test results through the post today and was
quite surprised when it said
"your diabetes has caused some damage to the small vessels at the back of
your eyes. At present, it does not need treatment and is not affecting
your sight. However, we do need to monitor the damage because if the blood
vessels leak, it could spoil your vision"

I got something similar a couple of years ago. I went along to the
followup appointment, despite the efforts of a receptionist to send me to
the wrong hospital. The specialist peered at my eye through a thing a bit
like the periscope on a nuclear submarine.
(Insert dramatic pause here.)
"There's nothing wrong at all. (Mutter.) The people who assess the photos
have gone off at half-cock AGAIN!"

I thought that was the purpose of screening. For a non specialist to
find what may be a fault and pass the patient on for it to be either
confirmed or not. Before diabetes was the major cause of blindness.
If the specialist did say exactly what you said and you are now under
the impression you have nothing to worry about he has led you astray.
It starts with small growths of new vessel this happens normally as well
but in a diabetic they can be weaker and tend to rupture, causing the
blindness. It is a progression of the disease. A T2s who has not been
diagnosed long are as prone as a T1 who has had the disease since
childhood because they can have had the disease untreated for many years
before they are diagnosed.
When those rogue vessels start to grow, for most it will take a few
years before there is a need for treatment in others, especially those
taking no care of them selves or with other things adding to the
problem,like stress or high blood pressure it can be quite swift.
Just be aware, a problem was seen and do not miss future screenings, it
is your sight that depends on it. If I was you I would report the
Specialists attitude to whoever sent you to see him.

Post by Robert Billing
I sometimes feel I'm missing the point of Blair's Britain.

I guess so.
Long term illness patients now have a say in their treatment, if they
know what they are talking about. You should have tried the system 10
years ago. Although the PCTs are trying to make things as difficult as
they can, at least you now do have a say.

DaveT

[DaveT]

Post by Bitstreams
I got my annual retinopathy test results through the post today and
was quite surprised when it said
"your diabetes has caused some damage to the small vessels at the back
of your eyes. At present, it does not need treatment and is not
affecting your sight. However, we do need to monitor the damage
because if the blood vessels leak, it could spoil your vision"
bugger !
They're calling me back again in 4 months time. Has anyone else been
through this and can give me pointers?
Simon

Do not worry about it, as long as you get them checked on a regular
basis and miss no appointments.
I have walked the full distance it can go for years before you need the
lazer treatment. If/when you do need treatment it is nothing you just
put your head into that gadget they use for doing the eye check and puff
test. The drops they put in on that occasion will not only open your
iris but will act as a local anaesthetic as well.
He places a lens on your eye and will then zap each of the tiny rogue
vessels. It does feel unusual but there is no pain to it. After it is
over when you close your eyes you will see little cross's all over the
place. It takes longer for the anesthetic to take effect than it will
for him/her to do the shooting.
They do one eye at a time over 4 weekly visits so you always have an eye
that is not in the healing process. Once you get it done you may never
need it done again, they will let you know by stopping your hospital
appointments and then you should go back to your diabetic clinic for the
normal eye tests as before.

DaveT

[Dave]

I have retinopathy for many years now. I got about 30 laser treatments over
about 5 years. I kept needing more laser every 3 mo.
I started taking Benfotiamine (the fat soluble form of thiamine) 200 mg 3
times a day. For about 18 mo's now I haven't needed a single laser
treatment. 3 mo's after starting Benfotiamine, I increased my daily dosage
to 450 mg. 3 times a day just for extra insurance.

Post by Bitstreams
I got my annual retinopathy test results through the post today and
was quite surprised when it said
"your diabetes has caused some damage to the small vessels at the back
of your eyes. At present, it does not need treatment and is not
affecting your sight. However, we do need to monitor the damage
because if the blood vessels leak, it could spoil your vision"
bugger !
They're calling me back again in 4 months time. Has anyone else been
through this and can give me pointers?
Simon

[DaveT]

Post by Dave
I have retinopathy for many years now. I got about 30 laser treatments over
about 5 years. I kept needing more laser every 3 mo.
I started taking Benfotiamine (the fat soluble form of thiamine) 200 mg 3
times a day. For about 18 mo's now I haven't needed a single laser
treatment. 3 mo's after starting Benfotiamine, I increased my daily dosage
to 450 mg. 3 times a day just for extra insurance.

30 treatments?
What sort of diabetic treatment are you on?
What numbers do you get?
If you have had 30 laser treatment2 it's a wonder you can see to type.

A different ophthalmologist and better BG control would have saved you a
lot of money. Your eyesight as well.

Just trying to make sure no one thinks it is me either writing this or
endorsing this stuff. Good BG control is the way to go after any laser
treatment. Each treatment consist of multiple burning of the areas were
new vessels are growing/leaking = over a 100 burns to each eye.

DaveT
1 lot of Laser treatment 6-8 years ago (I forget) after being diabetic
for 40+ years.

[Dave]

My BG's vary greatly. I'm type 1 for 54 years, produce no insulin so totally
insulin dependant.
There's always someone capable of better control and those people just love
to tell those of us who are unable to
match their wonderful numbers how bad we're doing. I hope you are not one of
those
assholes.

Post by DaveT

Post by Dave
I have retinopathy for many years now. I got about 30 laser treatments over
about 5 years. I kept needing more laser every 3 mo.
I started taking Benfotiamine (the fat soluble form of thiamine) 200 mg 3
times a day. For about 18 mo's now I haven't needed a single laser
treatment. 3 mo's after starting Benfotiamine, I increased my daily dosage
to 450 mg. 3 times a day just for extra insurance.

30 treatments?
What sort of diabetic treatment are you on?
What numbers do you get?
If you have had 30 laser treatment2 it's a wonder you can see to type.
A different ophthalmologist and better BG control would have saved you a
lot of money. Your eyesight as well.
Just trying to make sure no one thinks it is me either writing this or
endorsing this stuff. Good BG control is the way to go after any laser
treatment. Each treatment consist of multiple burning of the areas were
new vessels are growing/leaking = over a 100 burns to each eye.
DaveT
1 lot of Laser treatment 6-8 years ago (I forget) after being diabetic for
40+ years.

[DaveT]

Post by Dave
My BG's vary greatly. I'm type 1 for 54 years, produce no insulin so totally
insulin dependant.
There's always someone capable of better control and those people just love
to tell those of us who are unable to
match their wonderful numbers how bad we're doing. I hope you are not one of
those
assholes.

Why is your BGs uncontrollable?
Could it be because you have lost your hypo feeling so have to keep your
BGs high to be safe? I spent a few years like that till I got advice
from a T1 who posts on a.s.d and sometimes posts on here.
My BGs are nowhere near the figures that T2s manage to get but I do try
to keep them as low as I can by multiple injections to give corrective
doses if/when things go wrong and make sure I am as low as I can get.
It is not a case of someone showing off because he has great figures,
every time you get laser treatment the ophthalmologist is burning the
part of your eye that allows you to see making you loose some of you
sight (it does not repair, it is scar tissue that is left). One lot of
treatment made me loose some of mine so god knows what state your eyes
are in if you have had 30 lots. Even if you are counting each eye
separately that is fourteen times more than I have had. I was lucky it
only affected my night vision slightly but that was enough to stop the
migraine attacks I have had since childhood.
If your BGs are uncontrollable you must regain control even if you have
to drag your doctor into the present century to do it. It's your sight
that is at stake.
Note this is a support group, anyone who has questions about Retinopathy
who gets the idea that popping a vitamin pill will help to prevent it
rather than keeping their BGs under control is kidding them selves.

DaveT

[Martin. B]

I had a similar result on my test as well.. At the test the lady told me
that although there were signs of some damage it was very minor. However
the letter to the G.P seemed to say a lot more. You know what to do
whatever the results... Keep your HbA1c below 5% and u will be at the same
risk as non diabetics. I keep telling myself the same...

If the blood vessels leak from sugar damage they will cauterize them via
laser, not the most unpleasant procedure and over in minutes.

Martin.

Post by Bitstreams
I got my annual retinopathy test results through the post today and
was quite surprised when it said
"your diabetes has caused some damage to the small vessels at the back
of your eyes. At present, it does not need treatment and is not
affecting your sight. However, we do need to monitor the damage
because if the blood vessels leak, it could spoil your vision"
bugger !
They're calling me back again in 4 months time. Has anyone else been
through this and can give me pointers?
Simon