Intermittent Fasting And Blurred Vision
Like the keto diet, intermittent fasting is another trendy means of shedding pounds. Most intermittent fasting plans involve abstaining from food for many hours or restricting food to just one meal a day. But like any diet that restricts calories, intermittent fasting can take your blood sugar on a rollercoaster of ups and downs, Palinski-Wade says.
“When you go long periods of time without eating, such as during a fast, the body can drain energy stores and see a drop in blood sugar levels,” she says. “For most individuals, blood sugar will not drop dangerously low, yet a blood sugar on the low end of normal can make you feel fatigued or shaky or cause mental fogginess.” Again, if blood sugar dips low enough, you may experience blurry vision.
If you’ve noticed vision changes after starting a new eating plan, it may not mean you have to drop the diet. Still, it’s best to get the problem checked out. “Any time you experience blurry vision, you should speak to your physician to determine the cause,” Palinski-Wade says. “If the underlying cause is dehydration or low blood sugar, diet should be adjusted to prevent further drops in blood sugar and/or hydration status.”
What You Need To Know About Diabetes And Blurry Vision
An estimated one third of people who suffer from diabetes are not aware that they have the disease. Very often, a visit to the eye doctor for unexplained blurry vision or sudden eye problems serves as the mechanism through which diabetes is diagnosed.
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When Should I See A Doctor Right Away
Call a doctor right away if you notice sudden changes to your vision, including flashes of light or many more spots than usual. You also should see a doctor right away if it looks like a curtain is pulled over your eyes. These changes in your sight can be symptoms of a detached retina, which is a medical emergency.
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The 3 Stages Of Diabetic Retinopathy
1. Background Neuropathy
Background retinopathy is said to occur if you have developed microaneurysms on your retina. Microaneurysms are when there is a swelling of the capillaries that feed into the retina. The presence of relatively small numbers of microaneurysms will not usually cause problems with vision.
If the extent of retinopathy is able to grow more significantly, however, this is more likely to present a risk to your vision. Retinopathy can be treated, so it is important that you attend retinopathy screening appointments.
2. Maculopathy
Diabetic maculopathy is a condition that can result from retinopathy. Maculopathy is damage to the macula, the part of the eye which provides us with our central vision. A common from of damage is from diabetic macular oedema in which fluid builds up on the macula. Diabetic maculopathy is often treated by laser surgery.
3. Proliferative Retinopathy
Do You Suffer From Blurry Vision
Blurred or out of focus vision or any rapid changes to your vision can be an early sign of diabetes. Surprisingly, your diabetes related blurry vision could be caused by any of these factors:
- Hyperglycemia High blood sugar levels can cause fluid shifts and swelling of your eyes which moves the lens closer to or away from the retina, causing blurred vision.
- HypoglycemiaLow blood sugar levels cause changes in your brain, preventing your ability to focus.
- Rising and falling blood sugar levels. Fluctuating blood sugar levels can cause fluctuating vision as your eye changes in size and distance from lens to retina.
- Your body adjusting to a new insulin or a new dosage of insulin. New insulin levels or new medications may cause shrinking and swelling leading to vision changes.
If the underlying causes are identified and addressed, these vision changes are relatively short term and temporary. However, uncontrolled diabetes or chronic hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia can lead to permanent damage to your vision.
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How Do I Know If I Have Blurry Vision
Blurry vision is one of the earliest symptoms of diabetes.
Blurry vision is typically defined as the inability to see images or details of images clearly when your vision lacks sharpness. This can be compared to viewing a picture that contains objects or images out of focus.
Blurry vision can be unilateral, affecting only one eye, or bilateral, affecting both eyes. You may also notice that your vision is either always blurry, sometimes burry, or only blurry on occasion.
Diabetes-related blurry vision may occur for a variety of reasons:
- High blood sugar levels
- Low blood sugar levels
- Fluctuating blood sugar levels
In some cases, blurry vision may be experienced if you are adapting to a new dosage of insulin medication.
Why Does Diabetes Cause Blurred Vision
High blood sugar levels can cause the lens inside the eye to swell and change shape. This can make it hard for 1 or both of your eyes to focus, which makes your vision blurry for a short period of time. It can take about 6 weeks for the swelling to go away and your vision to return to normal once your blood sugar levels are closer to normal.1,2
Very low blood sugar levels can also cause blurred vision in 1 or both eyes. This is due to the way very low blood sugar levels affect the brain. Once your blood sugar levels have returned to normal, your vision should also return to normal.1,2
If your blood sugar levels often go up and down, you might notice that your vision gets better and then worse for different periods of time.1,2
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What Is Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is an eye condition that can cause vision loss and blindness in people who have diabetes. It affects blood vessels in the retina .
If you have diabetes, its important to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. Diabetic retinopathy may not have any symptoms at first but finding it early can help you take steps to protect your vision.
Managing your diabetes by staying physically active, eating healthy, and taking your medicine can also help you prevent or delay vision loss.
Does Blurry Vision From Diabetes Go Away
Experiencing blurry vision as a result of diabetes can feel unsettling. Naturally, one of the first things you might ask yourself is how long its going to last.
When the visual disturbance is caused by hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia alone, your blurry vision should go away with time and regulation of your blood sugar. It can take several weeks for your blood sugar level and with it, your vision to return to normal. But the effect may only be temporary.
Blurred vision can come and go any time your blood sugar level fluctuates. If you have diabetes and experience blurry vision , speak with your doctor.
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Progression Of Diabetic Retinopathy
Retinopathy can worsen over time. Broadly, there are two stages.
Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy
Also known as background retinopathy, this is the early stage, with mild or no symptoms.
At this stage, the retinas tiny blood vessels may become weak and blocked. There may be bulges in them, or fluid can leak out. This can cause swelling in the central part of the retina.
NPDR can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on how serious the blood vessel problem is.
Swelling in the retinaor macula edemacan cause vision problems. This is because it is the central part in the back of the eye that allows people to see fine details clearly.
Proliferative diabetic retinopathy
This is an advanced stage of eye complications. Blood vessels cannot deliver blood to the retina effectively, because they have closed up. New vessels start to grow to compensate for this. This stage only develops in some people with diabetes. It takes several years to develop.
The growth of new blood vessels does not provide normal blood flow to the retina, however, and it can lead to scarring and wrinkling. In severe cases, it can distort a persons vision. The retina can even become detached, causing a loss of vision.
The fragile new vessels can also bleed out. Symptoms include floating spots in the vision. If a bleed from the retina into the central fluid of the eye is big, a person can sometimes lose sight in that eye. After this, they will only be able to tell light from dark.
High Blood Sugar Can Cause Blurry Vision
After light enters the front of the eye, known as the cornea, it passes through to the lens. Both the cornea and lens work together to focus the rays of light onto the retina, which is a thin tissue located at the back of the eye. Retina cells then absorb that light and convert it into electrochemical impulses. They are then sent along the optic nerve and to the brain, where they are translated into the image you see.
Sudden high blood sugar following a meal can lead to blurry vision because the rapid increase in blood glucose causes an integral part of the eye, the lens, to swell. The swelling is caused by fluid moving in and out of the eye, and leads to changes in the shape of the lens and therefore changes in eyesight. When blood sugar levels return to normal, the lens returns to its original shape, and regular vision is restored. However, the effects can last for a couple of days.
High blood sugar following a meal is known as postprandial hyperglycemia. It has been shown that high carbohydrate intake is associated with the sudden increase in blood sugar levels following a meal.
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How Diabetes Can Impact The Eyes
Diabetic retinopathy describes retinal disorders that are caused by diabetes, including proliferative retinopathy and macular edema.
Proliferative retinopathy refers to a condition where blood vessels leak into the corner of the eye. Macular edema happens when leaking fluid causes the macula to swell.
Glaucoma can also cause blurry vision, and diabetes increases the risk for it. Pressure in the eye damages the optic nerve. In the earliest phases, there often are not any noticeable symptoms, which are why regular screening examinations are so important. Here are a few symptoms to watch for between screening examinations:
- Halos around lights
- Feelings of nausea or even vomiting
- Eye pain
Diabetes also increased the risk for cataracts, and blurry vision is also one of the first symptoms.
As described, there are multiple ways that diabetes can cause blurry vision, but not all blurry vision is the result of diabetes. Other causes include:
- Low blood pressure
- Digital eye strain from too much time at a computer
- Immune system diseases like multiple sclerosis and lupus
If you have an unexplained blurry vision, contact your eye doctor.
This also happens to be just one of many reasons why annual eye examinations are so crucial for many patients. Be sure to follow the recommended frequency of examinations for your age group or according to your doctor or optometrists recommendations.
Slurred Speech And Clumsiness
Your sugar-starved brain may change the way you sound. Slurred speech is a common symptom associated with blood sugar levels that drop below 40 mg/dL, according to University of Michigan Health Systems. Combined with clumsiness another sign of low blood sugar you may seem as though you’ve had a few too many cocktails, even if you haven’t touched a drop, according to the National Health Service.
For more on managing low blood sugar, check out Diabetes Daily’s article “How to Treat Lows Without Sabotaging Your Diet!“
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Diabetic Eye Disease: How To Spot The Signs Early
About 30.3 million adults in the U.S. havediabetes, according to the Centers for DiseaseControl , and 90% of them have Type 2 diabetes their bodies don’thandle insulin well and can’t maintain normal blood sugar levels.
What’s more, as many as one in fourworking-age adults have Type 2diabetes, but they don’t know it. So, you can imagine their surprise when theysee me, an ophthalmologist, for blurred vision or eye floaters, and we handthem a referral to get checked for diabetes.
Patients with Type 2 diabetes are at increasedrisk for diabetic eye disease, agroup of diabetes-related eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy anddiabetic macular edema . Approximately one third of my working-agepatients have diabetic eye damage, and diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause ofblindness in this age group.
Left untreated, diabetic eye diseases cancause permanent vision damage and even blindness.
It’s important to know the symptoms even ifyou haven’t been diagnosed with diabetes.
What Is Diabetic Eye Disease
Diabetic eye disease is a group of eye problems that can affect people with diabetes. These conditions include diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, cataracts, and glaucoma.
Over time, diabetes can cause damage to your eyes that can lead to poor vision or even blindness. But you can take steps to prevent diabetic eye disease, or keep it from getting worse, by taking care of your diabetes.
The best ways to manage your diabetes and keep your eyes healthy are to
- manage your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol, sometimes called the diabetes ABCs
- If you smoke, get help to quit smoking
- have a dilated eye exam once a year
Often, there are no warning signs of diabetic eye disease or vision loss when damage first develops. A full, dilated eye exam helps your doctor find and treat eye problems earlyoften before much vision loss can occur.
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How Will My Eye Doctor Check For Diabetic Retinopathy
Eye doctors can check for diabetic retinopathy as part of a dilated eye exam. The exam is simple and painless your doctor will give you some eye drops to dilate your pupil and then check your eyes for diabetic retinopathy and other eye problems.
If you have diabetes, its very important to get regular eye exams. If you do develop diabetic retinopathy, early treatment can stop the damage and prevent blindness.
If your eye doctor thinks you may have severe diabetic retinopathy or DME, they may do a test called a fluorescein angiogram. This test lets the doctor see pictures of the blood vessels in your retina.
Am I At Risk For Diabetic Retinopathy
Anyone with any kind of diabetes can get diabetic retinopathy including people with type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes .
Your risk increases the longer you have diabetes. Over time, more than half of people with diabetes will develop diabetic retinopathy. The good news is that you can lower your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy by controlling your diabetes.
Women with diabetes who become pregnant or women who develop gestational diabetes are at high risk for getting diabetic retinopathy. If you have diabetes and are pregnant, have a comprehensive dilated eye exam as soon as possible. Ask your doctor if youll need additional eye exams during your pregnancy.
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Low Blood Sugar Levels
Conversely, low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia, can cause blurred vision as well. However, hypoglycemia does not cause a change in the lens. Instead, it affects the way the brain perceives images. Fortunately, restoring blood sugar levels can quickly correct blurred vision due to hypoglycemia.
Symptoms Of Diabetic Eye Disease
Diabetic retinopathy causes blood vessel damage in the retina. Left untreated, it can cause vision loss and can develop into DME.
Approximately 40% to 45% of patients with diabetes have symptoms of diabetic retinopathy, though many don’t notice it. Symptoms can include:
- Blurry vision
- Floaters
- Faded, washed out appearance of colors
- Blank or dark areas in your field of vision
Diabetic macular edema is a build-up of fluid in the center of the retina, or the macula. This part of the eye is responsible for sharp vision and most of our color vision. Symptoms can include:
- Blurry or wavy vision in the center of your field of vision
- Floaters
- Noticing colors appear faded or washed out
Both forms of diabetic eye disease are treatable. Types of treatment and effectiveness depend on the severity of the condition.
At UT Southwestern, we take a multidisciplinary approach to diagnose and treat diabetic eye disease. If we detect diabetes-related eye symptoms and you have been diagnosed with diabetes, we can recommend that you follow up with your endocrinologist or primary care doctor.
If we see signs of eye damage but you have not been diagnosed with diabetes, we can refer you to a diabetes expert at UT Southwestern. The ophthalmology team works closely with our endocrinology doctors and nurses to make sure you have the treatment and information you need to reduce your risks.
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Tingling Sensation Around The Mouth
If your mouth or lips are tingling, you might be experiencing hypoglycemia, according to Harvard Health. You might also feel tongue numbness or metallic taste in the mouth. It’s not entirely clear why this happens, but Cedars Sinai Hospital notes it’s possible that the nerves in the mouth and tongue react poorly to low blood sugar.
Why Does My Vision Get Blurry After I Eat
Sudden high blood sugar following a meal can lead to blurry vision because the rapid increase in blood glucose causes an integral part of the eye, the lens, to swell. The swelling is caused by fluid moving in and out of the eye, and leads to changes in the shape of the lens and therefore changes in eyesight.
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What Should I Do If I Experience Blurred Vision
If you experience blurred vision and you have not been diagnosed with diabetes, you should see your doctor and discuss your symptoms. Your doctor will evaluate you and identify the cause of the symptom. As part of this evaluation, your doctor will measure your blood glucose to determine if it is high and whether you may have diabetes.
If you have already been diagnosed with diabetes, blurred vision is a sign that your blood glucose is out of control. You should work with your doctor on steps to help control your blood glucose.1,3
Do not get new glasses or contacts while you are working to get your blood glucose levels under control. Wait until after your levels are under control and the swelling in your eyes is gone so that your prescription is correct for your normal vision.1,3
No matter how often you experience blurred vision, you should always see your doctor since it could be a sign of another more serious eye problem.1,2
When high levels of blood sugar are left untreated for a long period of time, it can cause serious and sometimes permanent damage to 1 or both eyes. Long-term complications of diabetes that affect vision include:3
- Cataracts
- Retinopathy