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"Nope, nope... that doesn't have anything to do with diabetes. It's just a normal thing some people have."
Whew.
For the last several months, I've noticed an occasional floater in my field of vision. It isn't always there, nor is it always in the same spot in my vision.
The only times I see it are at work; specifically, sometimes when I'm looking at my computer screen. But, not always then. It's just this bean-shaped blob that moves around with what I'm looking at.
Frankly, I'd been a bit scared about it.
My opthalmologist had seen a couple of microaneurysms in each eye shortly before I started using a CGM, which would have been in 2009. The technical term is mild non-proliferative retinopathy. In subsequent visits, he's told me that they've been healing/shrinking/running away scared, which is super, but it still scared the crap out of me that something was happening to my eyes. That I wasn't somehow immune to complications, after all.
I know it's a mild complication, but it had felt very major to me.
When I started seeing this floater, my mind understandably went to Worst Case Scenario - that 25 years of diabetes had finally started to take its toll. That my recent not-as-tight-as-before control was to blame. That I was to blame.
But I also told myself - if this was diabetes-related, wouldn't I be seeing it all the time? I guess that's the line of thinking that had me keeping my original yearly exam date, instead of scheduling the appointment for much earlier.
I didn't mind putting off the answer. If it was bad, I didn't want to hear it quite yet. (Yeah, I know.)
So when Dr. D asked me if I'd had any changes in my vision, I told him. I described what had been happening, and when. He took a look.
"Oh, no. No, your eyes look great. Actually, it looks like they're still getting better. That thing isn't diabetes-related. Some people just get those from time to time; you get just the right lighting or look a certain direction, and they show up for a little bit. Nothing to worry about."
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| Their opthalmologist must use really strong dilation drops. |
And as for the title of this post - something must have been written down in my file, because when we got to the part where the thing touches your eye (I'm very technical with my terminology here), he had an assistant come in to hold my cranium against the head holster. Seriously; she applied force so that I couldn't react! (She was very nice and gentle with me, though. No rough-housing.)
I'm a jumper, apparently.
Dude! I am sooo a jumper too. I've never had anyone actually have to hold my head, but I did get the "if you flinch one more time..." threat.
ReplyDeleteI've never had a floater. But, come to think of it, there are times where I can feel a pulsing feeling in one eye. It's like a heartbeat, same rhythm (I think), and it feels like some giant glycated-hemogloben-encrusted red blood cell is trying to make it through a tiny capillary (also don't know the terminology, but big words make me sound smart). If I close my eye and put my finger on my eyelid, I could even feel it in my finger sometimes.
ReplyDeleteIt scares me, then it goes away, and then I forget about it. Like you, all my ophtho checkups come back without cause for concern, so I've never mentioned this to anyone (until now). That's probably because I'm afraid of the response, and that's probably not the best idea.
I'm a jumper, and I get floaters all the time...and I'm not diabetic.
ReplyDeleteI also once punched out my dentist when on Nitric Oxide, so no more of the fun stuff for me :(
This reminds me of that scene in Doc Hollywood where the old lady with thick glasses has a problem. "It's there, no there, over there..." He cleans her glasses and she's cured! Wouldn't it be great if all our eye issues could just be wiped off and we'd be fine? I'm glad it's not D related or a serious issue. I guess I'm not a jumper but I get the white knuckle effect.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your eyes are good.
ReplyDeleteI am a jumper too. I currently have some floaters. I used to always freak about it, especially after going thru retinopathy. I have a cousin that works for an eye doctor and she told me they have a lot of non-d patients with them and they are pretty normal. I always try to remember that when I get freaked out about them.
ReplyDeleteMan that is so good to hear! I was just recently diagnosed and i was terrified to get my eyes inspected. I was worried they would tell me all kinds of crazy stuff but he told me mine were fine too and that I had 20/20! Good post!
ReplyDeleteI first noticed my floater when I was around 14-15 yrs old in 9th grade biology class. We were drawing the microscopic organisms we found in pond water. I found it curious that this one organism-looking thing followed the movement of my eye as I drew it on my lab report, but I didn't think much of it. Until I got that drawing marked wrong. Apparently nothing that looks like floaters are found in pond water. I didn't get it diagnosed by an eye doctor until 20-some years later. If it makes you feel any better, I wasn't diagnosed with diabetes (Type 2) until almost 25 yrs after that day in the lab. ;)
ReplyDeleteI am VERY nearsighted. So is my Mom. In the VERY nearsighted person, floaters are common. I can't remember ever NOT having floaters, at least as an adult. I've been to a retinologist recently, where she lasered AROUND my eyeballs to fix "lattice deterioration," which is also very common among us very nearsighted people. Fortunately, the retinologist told me my retinas look great, and I've had Type I for 39 years so far. When in doubt, go to an ophthalmologist, and everyone with Type I diabetes should see a retinologist (my guess is that you should see one at least after 10 years of this illness.)
ReplyDelete