Blurry vision after getting my blood sugar down? (blurriness, blood pressure, surgery)

[joeyk4]

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes with a fasting blood sugar of 244....within a week I have eating a very low carb diet and on Metformin, my blood sugar the last 2 days has been in the 90's....is blurry vision common when there is a blood sugar change? I can't see my phone well and just bought reading glasses. I can see the computer in the morning but I went out for a walk and came back and the screen was blurry for a bit. I am making and appt with the eye Dr but just wondering if this is normal when blood sugar changes?

[Hedgehog_Mom]

This is totally normal and it will clear up within a week or two. It happens to almost every type 2 diabetic when they start taking meds and eating differently, and everyone panics when it happens.

You shouldn't get new glasses until the blurred vision clears up. Now that you're diabetic, your doctor will want you to have a diabetic eye exam, so you might want to schedule that, but again, wait until the blurriness improves.

You may not even need the reading glasses once it clears up.

[Raven_on_a_Coyote]

Originally Posted by joeyk4

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes with a fasting blood sugar of 244....within a week I have eating a very low carb diet and on Metformin, my blood sugar the last 2 days has been in the 90's....is blurry vision common when there is a blood sugar change? I can't see my phone well and just bought reading glasses. I can see the computer in the morning but I went out for a walk and came back and the screen was blurry for a bit. I am making and appt with the eye Dr but just wondering if this is normal when blood sugar changes?

What you are experiencing sounds like What Is Macular Edema? - American Academy of Ophthalmology

It is not normal:
Diabetic Macular Edema: Current and Emerging Therapies

And it could be a side effect of Metformin and you should let your doctor know about it:
Pioglitazone and Metformin Tablets - FDA prescribing information, side effects and uses

But I do not think it is a side effect, I think it is because the underlying cause of the diabetes, namely a vitamin cofactor deficiency, is causing too much oxidative stress. Taking metformin does not fix that issues, it hides it. I think that cofactor is manganese: Association of manganese superoxide dismutase gene polymorphism (V16A) with diabetic macular edema in Korean type 2 diabetic patients. - PubMed - NCBI

Also: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25667085

[Gilah G.]

My mother just had surgery on her right eye for this.
Edema is correct. Surgery and special drops.. and it's not a temporary fix.

[Blondy]

My husband had blurry vision when he was first diagnosed and went on Metformin.


If I recall, it went away in a week or so. He had an eye exam and everything was fine.

[Raven_on_a_Coyote]

Originally Posted by Blondy

My husband had blurry vision when he was first diagnosed and went on Metformin.


If I recall, it went away in a week or so. He had an eye exam and everything was fine.

Yes, it will all depend on if the person can handle the oxidative stress created by the metformin.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Seriously guys, this is very common for newly diagnosed diabetics.

Check out this forum: American Diabetes Association - Recently Diagnosed & New Members - American Diabetes Association Community and also the type 2 forum in the same location. Do a search for the word blurry and you'll find hundreds of people who have had the same problem when their blood sugar started coming down to normal levels. It scared me when it happened to me and that's how I found that forum, searching online for people with similar experiences.

It would be a concerning symptom in someone who wasn't going through exactly what the OP is going though right now, but it is totally normal for a newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic and not a sign of any permanent damage or lifelong condition or something requiring surgery or even an emergency trip to the eye doctor.

OP, give yourself a couple of weeks for it to go back to normal. Don't ask the internet to diagnose you, they'll only manage to freak you out. Considering your other thread about diabetes and high blood pressure feeling like a death sentence, you don't need more reasons to be scared about your health right now.