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Permalink Reply by Spock on April 22, 2012 at 3:34pm

Please speak to your opthamologist immediately, please. My only side effect of diabetes has been the eyes. I was first treated for retinopathy (and lasered extensively!!) over 20 years ago and still have floaters. But, if these are new, please check with you doctor. Could be nothing, but it is better to be safe. (Floaters are such a PAIN!)

Sunlight will really heighten the effect. Heavy duty sunshades help a lot.

Please,let us know what you do.

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Permalink Reply by Sagwabetes on April 22, 2012 at 5:24pm

Since all my laser surgeries (I think 9 total)
I see constant floating flashing specks and sparkles.
It is 100 times worse in bright/white ... even the computer screen on a word document or this page is difficult.
I wear shades that go over my glasses. Those help, even looking at the computer.
I was told that all the lasering causes scar tissue to impede the pupil's ability to contract fully, so light sensitivity and sparkling is worse.

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Permalink Reply by catlover on April 23, 2012 at 9:16am

I have never had any complication with my eyes and I have had floaters even before I was Dx with D. My Ophth. also has them too. They are not necessarily related to having D. Mostly they look like spider webs floating in front of my eyes. If you have never had floaters,, you might want to have it checked out by your eye doc. Mine said there is really no treatment for them. Just grin and bear it.

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Permalink Reply by MegaMinxX on April 23, 2012 at 4:03pm

Great news ! Over the past 2 days, the 'specks' have faded and now barely noticeable.

Called the doc today, and he said not urgent to come in, especially since I have a routine scheduled appt next week.

I have gotten floaters before, but they tend to stay out of my central vision, and disappear within a day or so. For me, they are not spider webs, but more like a small bug flying around ! But the one I had this past Saturday was a good sized spider web, and glad that it disappeared within hours. The 'specks' were something I had never seen before, but maybe associated with the larger floater.

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Permalink Reply by Trekker on April 24, 2012 at 7:32pm

I'm glad that you are seeing your ophthalmologist soon, as with our eyes we can't be toooo careful. Those floaters can be a red flag. All the best!

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Permalink Reply by Cinderfella on April 26, 2012 at 11:31am

I'm curious about the folks who have said they had extensive lasering done years ago, to the point that there's hardly anything left of their retnas. Are you people still functioning well in a situation like that? Are you working, driving, staying productive? Or, are you considered disabled? The reason I ask is that I am going through that very thing right now. I have had extensive lasering in my left eye, to the point where it's like trying to look through a piece of swiss cheese. I can see all the burn holes from the lasering. The good news with that eye is that it has been stable for a year with no new bleeding or blood vessel growth. My central vision has been saved, but my peripheral in that eye is pretty much all gone. The doctor is now in the process of doing extensive work on my right eye--lasering and I have had several shots of avastin. It's all working, but I'm worried that when he's done, there won't be much left of that eye either. I'm concerned about my being able to drive, work and continue to take care of myself. With all this vision loss, and what is yet to come, it scares me. I'm just wondering how others have managed. Any information would be a help. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Annabella on April 26, 2012 at 12:27pm

I had extensive lasering in my left eye late 80s to early 90s, & I don't see very well with that eye, but since then no more bleeding. My right eye shows no signs of any bleeding. I have had cataract operations in both eyes, that really improved my vision even in my bad left eye. So good luck, I don't consider myself disabled but I think the right eye does a lot of the work.

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