Question:
From Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, USA:
My 9 year old son is having his eyes checked for the fourth time this year. If he does need glasses will they do him any good considering the effects high and low blood sugars have on the eyes?
Answer:
There is no direct correlation at all between eyesight (and glasses as
well!) and diabetic microvascular complication of the
retina
of the eyes. It is true that high blood sugar can temporary impair eyesight but
it generally recovers shortly after normalisation of metabolic control. As
far as the microvascular complications of the eye, i.e.,
diabetic retinopathy,
it is generally secondary to a long period of insufficient
metabolic control.
MS
[Editor's comment: People with recently-diagnosed diabetes frequently
complain that their vision deteriorates after getting started on therapy.
This phenomenon is temporary, and I advise them to "tough it out" if
possible, or buy very cheap magnifying glasses if needed, as the vision
will improve as the blood sugar stabilizes at a lower level. As pointed out
by Dr. Songini, these changes in vision due to changes in the lens (what
the eye docs call "changes in refraction") are completely separate from the
problem of diabetic retinopathy.
WWQ]
Original posting 20 Dec 97
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