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Posts Tagged ‘Vibe’

Suprabeam Head Torch – Night vision and Diabetes

Posted in Diabetes, Eyes, Insulin Pumps, tagged #Diabetes #Insulin #BG, Abbott, Accu-Chek, Advanced Therapeutics, Animas, Bayer, Blood Sugar, C8Medisensors, Cellnovo, CGM, Dario, Dexcom, Diabetes, diabetes uk, diabetes week, diabetic, Enlite, eyes, Fitbit, Glooko, GlucoRX, Hba1c, headtorch, Hypo, iBGStar, Insujet, insulin, Lifescan, macular, Medtronic, Menarini, Mendor, my pump, Omnipod, retinopathy, Roche, Sanofi, specsavers, suprabeam, Vibe, vitrectomy on June 7, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Hi all,

As you may or may not know I have had many problems with my eye site over the past 10 years and I have had approx 10,000 laser burns in each eye to help correct Retinopathy and also a Vitrectomy Operation in each eye.

Please take the time if you can to look at my previous blogs relating to eye health and the importance of regular Diabetes Eye Check Up’s.

Over the years my night vision with all the treatments I have had my night vision has suffered to the point where I am unable to drive during the winter months as it tends to be dark at 4.00pm, it is so frustrating to have to rely on other people,public transport and cabs to get around as I like to think I am quite independent – my wife Gill is a huge help to me.

So what I tend to do is carry a large torch everywhere even during the summer as if I am out late (doesn’t happen much as I have three young children lol) I would be stuck or struggle a lot to find my way around even just using the torch on my phone which is pretty poor. I have tried lots of different options of torch ranging from very cheap small torches which are useless to expensive large torches which are too big.

I then cam across a company who manufacture a superb quality range of torches and head torches that I was hoping could help me.

The company is called Suprabeam and from the first enquiry I sent them I knew they could help as they certainly know their stuff, they seem to deal with people who run, ride and even climb who need a decent quality torch that they can rely on 100%. The reason I decided on a headtorch is purely because I don’t have to hold it and they are now very small and bright, especially compared to what I have used in the past. The Suprabeam head torches are very comfortable to wear, small but extremely bright – I can even use if I decided to cycle.

The Suprabeam head torch we decided on was the Suprabeam V3air Rechargeable as I didn’t want anything super bright but bright enough to light the path or road in front of me, this certainly does the job, I have been using this now for about 4 months and I am so pleased I bought one as it has given me so much confidence when being out during the evenings or night. It is very a small and just fits in my pocket ready for when I need it.

Personally if you are looking for a top quality Torch or even HeadTorch then have a look at Suprabeam as the products are very high quality and affordable, the staff are also very knowledgeable and not pushy at all so they will guide you to the product they think will best suit your requirements.

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Western Eye Hospital – Annual Diabetes Eye Check

Posted in Diabetes, Eyes, Insulin Pumps, tagged #Diabetes #Insulin #BG, Abbott, Accu-Chek, Advanced Therapeutics, Animas, Bayer, Blood Sugar, C8Medisensors, Cellnovo, CGM, Dario, Dexcom, Diabetes, diabetes uk, diabetes week, diabetic, Enlite, eyes, Fitbit, Glooko, GlucoRX, Hba1c, Hypo, iBGStar, Insujet, insulin, Lifescan, macular, Medtronic, Menarini, Mendor, my pump, Omnipod, retinopathy, Roche, Sanofi, specsavers, Vibe, vitrectomy on May 7, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Hi,

So here I am again for my yearly check up at the Western Eye Hospital nr Paddington London for my Diabetes Eye Check.

For me this is always a nervous time and can be a long day 😄

My appointment was for 9.40am so I left my home at about 7.30am to get the train to London which is always fun (not), it is incredible just how many people travel in and out of London expecially at rush hour. I was lucky enough to get a seat on the train that takes about 50 minutes to Paddington as I then have about a 15 minute walk to the Western Eye Hospital.

There are possibly closer places for me to have these checks but I have been going there for about 10 years now and also had laser treatment along with two Vitrectomy Operations about 8 years ago, I like the fact they can do everything there related to eyes.

Good to see a large TV which gives you an idea of the waiting time which can be quite lengthy sometimes, when I arrived it was approx 30-60 minutes to see the nurse for the eye check, photo’s of the back of your eye, lovely drops in your eye, scan the eye for any vessel leaks. This all went quite quickly and my eyes from the nurses perspective were okay and pressure good along with my actual eyesite. Really good news to hear my eyes are healthy and I am still okay to drive.

After seeing the nurse I then waited about another hour to see the Doctor who looks at your previous notes and then has a good look at the back of the eye, since my last appointment everything has remained stable which the Doctor said can be down to good blood sugar control which is not easy. I have had a lot of laser treatment previously to burn the tiny blood vessels to stop them bursting and leaking, fortunately I do not need any further laser at this time.

I did ask about my vision as I do get slightly paranoid that I can’t read a number plate but she confirmed I am well in the limits of this – great news.

So as you can imagine I am extremely happy and just proves that good control, healthy eating and basically looking after yourself does help make a difference.

Thanks again for reading.

Andrew

http://www.mypump.co.uk

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Specsavers Eye Test

Posted in Diabetes, Eyes, Insulin Pumps, tagged #Diabetes #Insulin #BG, Abbott, Accu-Chek, Advanced Therapeutics, Animas, Bayer, Blood Sugar, C8Medisensors, Cellnovo, CGM, Dario, Dexcom, Diabetes, diabetes uk, diabetes week, diabetic, Enlite, eyes, Fitbit, Glooko, GlucoRX, Hba1c, Hypo, iBGStar, Insujet, insulin, Lifescan, macular, Medtronic, Menarini, Mendor, my pump, Omnipod, retinopathy, Roche, Sanofi, specsavers, Vibe, vitrectomy on January 30, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Hi all,

I know it was a long time ago now but in some respects it is nice to get back to normality as my eating and drinking habits over Christmas & New Year have been very bad, far too much food and drink which has played havoc with my BG levels so I need to pull my finger out and get back on track 🙂

As you may or may not already be aware I have had numerous problems with my eyes and ensure I have regular eye checks to make sure nothing is missed, for my Diabetes Care I attend the Western Eye Hospital in London where I go each year – this is my last blog Western Eye Clinic.

I have also been to Specsavers for the past 5 years to basically check my vision where as the Western Eye Clinic is looking at issues with my eye health and any related Diabetes damage like Retinopathy etc. The reason I chose Specsavers is that the service I have received from Maidenhead Store has been superb and they give a great range of tests not just interested in selling you a new pair of glasses.

So I received my yearly reminder in the post and called to book my appointment at Maidenhead which as always is very easy and at a time to suit me. My appointment was on Saturday 3rd January and I was luck enough to be seen by the Branch Manager Lisa which at the time I was unaware of. Lisa went through the eye checks with me “s last pair of glasses to get an idea of how much her eyes have changed since her last eye test”, I also had a Visual Fields Test due to the amount of Laser I have had done previously for the treatment of Retinopathy – this basically involves resting your chin on the edge of a large round ball which the lights up small lights inside at different positions, you then push a button to tell the computer when you have seen each light. All these test went very well in my eyes “Sorry excuse the pun”

I was then taken in to see a very nice Optometrist called Helen who spoke to me first about my lifestyle and Medical history, Helen then went through various checks as follows and these details were taken from the Specsavers web site which is very helpful :

1. The Retinoscope

The optometrist may use an instrument called a retinoscope, which bounces a light beam off the back of your eye and back into the instrument. Different lenses focus the reflected light beam until it is steady, giving a close guide to the prescription you need.

The retinoscope is very accurate – it is used to test the sight of very small children, or people with communication difficulties who can’t easily describe how clearly they can see.

2. The test chart

The optometrist fine-tunes his findings by asking you to read the test chart through different strength lenses. The results for one eye often vary from those for the other, so each eye will be tested individually before both eyes are finally tested together.

The optometrist flips different lenses in front of your eyes that change how clearly you can see. Depending on your answers, the optometrist changes the lenses until you have the clearest, most comfortable vision possible.

3. Using the ophthalmoscope

The optometrist uses an ophthalmoscope to examine the retina at the back of the eye, including the blood vessels and the front of the optic nerve. This important test can detect changes which can indicate diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

The optometrist darkens the room and sits quite close to you, while they shine a bright light into each eye in turn using the ophthalmoscope. The light may leave shadows on your vision, but these soon fade.

4. The oxo box

You are also asked to focus on an oxo box, and say whether the illuminated lines are in line horizontally and vertically.

This indicates whether your eyes work well together – balanced and co-ordinated eyes are essential for clear comfortable vision.

5. Testing your focus

The optometrist may test your ability to focus at varying distances to decide if you need different prescriptions for distance and reading.

After this I sat down with Helen to go through her findings which for me was all okay, the only issue I have is sitting in front of a laptop all-day and having to strain to see the words clearly, we decided pair of specific VDU glasses could help. We then looked at the digital images of the backs of my eyes which are incredible to see as I could see all the scarring from the laser treatment I have had going back about 7 or 8 years – all this laser also affects my night vision massively but nothing I can do about this.

Finally, I was then introduced to Jamil who showed my lots of different frames some good and some not so good unless you are someone like Will I Am, we decided on two pairs of frames one for VDU work and one pair for normal day to day wear. I collected my glasses 1 week later and I was extremly pleased with the quality/price and service so I would highly recommend giving them a try.

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Diabetes Look Back July/August/September 2014

Posted in Diabetes, Insulin Pumps, tagged #Diabetes #Insulin #BG, Abbott, Accu-Chek, Advanced Therapeutics, Animas, Bayer, Blood Sugar, C8Medisensors, Cellnovo, CGM, Dario, Dexcom, Diabetes, diabetes uk, diabetic, Enlite, eyes, Fitbit, Glooko, GlucoRX, Hba1c, iBGStar, Insujet, insulin, Lifescan, Medtronic, Menarini, Mendor, Omnipod, retinopathy, Roche, Sanofi, Vibe, vitrectomy on September 29, 2014| 2 Comments »

Hi all,

Apologies it has been a while since my last update on MyPump Diabetes Site but busy with the family etc J

So my sailing at Cookham Reach Sailing Club is still going really well and I managed to take out a Lightning Dinghy last Saturday on my own for the first time, I just about managed to stay upright largely down to the assistance of Alistair in the safety boat – all in all I had a great time. The biggest thing I have noticed is the amount of carbs I need prior to 1 hour sailing as I must be honest I didn’t really think I would use that much energy, I tend to have an energy bar and banana prior to sailing and that is usually all burnt up.

** New members always welcome and surprisingly membership is not as much as you think.

Dario BG Meter

I have been using the Dario BG Meter for a couple of months now and just recently gone onto the Dario for Android/IOS so can now use it on multiple devices like an iPad and Samsung Galaxy – all of which sync easily. I especially like the food diary which amazingly seems to have pretty much most of the food I eat but it would be good to have some images/sizes similar to Carbs & Cals. If you have not yet tried the Dario BG Meter then it is certainly worth a go as it is so compact and just fits in your pocket, the strips are held in a tiny container within the meter and you also have a built in finger pricker.

Abbott Freestyle Libre

Sadly I have not tried this device for myself but I do hope to so I can write a hands on Blog review.

So if you have not yet heard about the Abbott Freestyle Libre then you will be in for a surprise as it really does look amazing and the technology behind this BG Meter is incredible, this is the type of device I dreamed of when I was young as it is a cross between a standard BG meter and a CGM. As I understand the Abbott Freestyle Libre is due for release very soon and works by using a small sensor placed on the body which you can then place the meter close to the sensor to take a BG reading, this also works through clothes so means you can test as many times a day as you like – no finger prick required, you also don’t need to calibrate with a finger prick. The software also looks incredible and I like the fact that this device can give you an indication of whether your BG levels is dropping or increasing – this is a big problem for me as I tend to go to bed on 7.0 but it’s so difficult to know if it will drop and many times it does.

The other big plus is that the sensors last for 14 days before they need to be replaced.

So next question – how much ?

I have not seen any official prices from Abbott but looking on Google rumours it sounds as though the meter could be approx. £150 and sensors priced at approx. £50 each (They do last 14 days each though), however please bear in mind these are not official figures and only rumours – not sure if we can get any NHS funding.

Hey Dude Shoes – something a bit different to tell you about J.

So since starting up sailing I have increasingly been getting my shoes wet and I do prefer to wear shoes barefoot nr the river as I am in and out of sailing boats and end up taking off and on my sailing boots.

We went on holiday to Somerset a few months ago and on the beach with the children and a young surfer walked past with some very funky/comfy looking shoes, there is a huge range to choose from and they are more of a summer shoe than a winter shoe as mainly canvas – hoverer they can be machined washed. The Hey Dude Shoes have a leather type anti-bacterial insert which I can say makes them feel as though you are wearing slippers but with a nice thick sole to give them added comfort.

So if you are looking for a comfy shoe that gives great comfort and support to your feet then give them a try, my wife has also bought a pair so they must be good J.

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Western Eye Hospital nr Paddington – Diabetes check up.

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged #Diabetes #Insulin #BG, Abbott, Accu-Chek, Advanced Therapeutics, Animas, Bayer, BG, Blood Sugar, C8Medisensors, Cellnovo, CGM, Dario, Dexcom, Diabetes, Enlite, eyes, Fitbit, Glooko, GlucoRX, Hba1c, Hypo, iBGStar, Input, Medtronic, Menarini, my pump, Omnipod, Roche, Sanofi, Vibe, vitrectomy on July 31, 2014| Leave a Comment »

So again I left my house at about 7.00am this morning to get to Paddington for my yearly Diabetes check up at the Western Eye Hospital in London.

I had an early appointment for was for 8.50am so arrived to quite a few people already waiting and took my seat as usual – yes it was hot.

The nurse then puts in dilating drops and anaesthetic drops ready for photos plus a scan (not had before) to be taken at the back of the eye for the consultant which sting like hell. Waiting for the drops to start working for about another 20 minutes and I was then called to have the photos took plus a scan of the eye.

I saw a new consultant who as always was very nice plus asked lots of questions especially about my Diabetes care which I think is pretty good, I did have a Sty on my eye which he said would clear but gave me some gel to help speed up the process.

Much to my relief I was given the all clear by the consultant, I did explain that sometimes I do get some light flashing in my left eye but he said that could be pulling on the retina but nothing to worry about.

So all in all a good day for me – I can’t begging to explain what a massive relief it is for a consultant to say my eyes are stable, I also understand that they would never improve similar to my night vision which does get me down sometimes and certainly restricts me in the winter a lot – I am very lucky as my wife Gill is a great support and understands, even the children know I have problems with my sight – blees.

So now I am sitting in a bar having a quick beer to celebrate at The Mad Bishop and Bear Paddington station before my train home.

As always thanks for reading.

Andrew

http://www.mypump.co.uk

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Introducing the Medtronic 2014 UK Junior Cup

Posted in Diabetes, Insulin Pumps, Uncategorized, tagged #Diabetes #Insulin #BG, Abbott, Accu-Chek, Advanced Therapeutics, Animas, Bayer, BG, Blood Sugar, C8Medisensors, Cellnovo, CGM, Dario, Dexcom, Diabetes, Enlite, eyes, Fitbit, Glooko, GlucoRX, Hba1c, Hypo, iBGStar, Input, Medtronic, Menarini, my pump, Omnipod, Roche, Sanofi, Vibe, vitrectomy on July 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »

What is the Medtronic Junior Cup Diabetes?

The Medtronic Junior Cup Diabetes is a ‘World Cup’ for children with Type 1 diabetes aged between 10 and 14. Lenny the lion has invited 12 Countries to compete in a 7 aside football tournament to determine which team is the best football side in the world.

The UK team this year are all Insulin Pump users as the aim is to raise the awareness about the benefits that insulin pumps and in particular Sensor Augmented Pump therapy (SAP) can give to young children and teenagers.

When and where will this year’s Junior Cup take place?

The 2014 competition will take place from the 22nd- 24th August in the Sports Centre Papendal in Arnhem, Holland. The Sports Centre Papendal is used by the Dutch National Olympic Committee, Netherlands Sports Federation and is the training complex for the Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem.

How can you support the UK team at this year’s Medtronic Junior Cup Diabetes 2014?

Please show your support for the 11 boys and girls players and help us to raise the awareness about Pump therapy amongst young children and teenagers. You can do this by blogging, tweeting and posting on your Facebook pages about the 11 boys and girls playing and their experience.

Each of the 11 players is really looking forward to representing the UK team. They have sent in a photo of themselves and described their pump and SAP experience (Please see below)

These 11 children are role models for other children to show that having type 1 diabetes does not prevent you from taking part in sport.

If you tweet please remember to use #medtronicjuniorcup

Follow the UK team’s progress on Facebook and Twitter

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/JuniorCupDiabetes

Twitter

https://www.twitter.com/JrCupDiabetes

This year’s participation criteria is:

• Boys and Girls with type 1 diabetes
• Using an insulin pump
• Never participated in Junior Cup Diabetes
• Between the ages of 10-14
• Must be available to travel to the Netherlands for 22nd – 24th August 2014 (3 days/2 nights)

Registration closes on the 30th June 2014

How to register

To be in with a chance of representing the UK and Ireland in the Junior Cup Diabetes 2014 customers will need to visit www.juniorcup-diabetes.com

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Diabetes Look Back – May/June 2014 plus Dario sneak preview.

Posted in Diabetes, Insulin Pumps, tagged #Diabetes #Insulin #BG, Abbott, Accu-Chek, Advanced Therapeutics, Animas, Bayer, BG, Blood Sugar, C8Medisensors, Cellnovo, CGM, Dario, Dexcom, Diabetes, Enlite, eyes, Fitbit, Glooko, GlucoRX, Hba1c, Hypo, iBGStar, Input, Medtronic, Menarini, my pump, Omnipod, Roche, Sanofi, Vibe, vitrectomy on July 14, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Hi all,

Sorry it has been a while since my last blog but with a young family it is sometime difficult to find the time to write down my thoughts.

Firstly as I do keep forgetting but am I the only one who has fingers which feel sore due to BG testing up to 5 times per day, can anyone give me any tips as after 40+ years my fingers need some care?

I have recently started to learn how to sail a small Dinghy at my small local sailing club (before you ask no it is not posh and I am not rich J), I wanted a nice hobby that was local and also had a nice social side so my family could come as well plus of course get some exercise. So far I have had one lesson and managed to be in an Enterprise boat that the instructor managed to capsize into the Thames which was freezing, the worst of it was that I had my mobile phone in my pocket which of course was ruined, I did manage to get it replaced as it should be waterproof. The exercise from sailing in the boat is great as it is quite low impact and certainly something I would like to continue.

So life in general is going well and my BG levels have been okay however stress can play quite a big part in my levels as I have a young family of three and my job can be quite manic at times so keeping a check on my BG levels is key. I also have looming my yearly Diabetes Eye Clinic check-up which is due the end of July so that is always in the back of my mind.

I have also been using the new Dario BG Meter which I am sure you would have seen by now as it is quite incredible what this little meter can actually do when used with the Dario App, at the moment it is only available for iPhone but soon to be released on Android – watch this space. I will be writing a separate Blog Review for the Dario BG Meter which I will post as soon as I have written it but here is a brief overview.

The Dario BG Meter itself is tiny as you can see from the below image and it arrives in a very nice box with some test strips and lancets which are used in the one device but my only slight bug bear is that you can’t really store any additional lancets in the device even though you can store the test strips, I am sure Dario will be working on a solution though.

I have been using the meter for a good few weeks along with the App which so far is working better than expected I must say, there are many different functions on the Dario App so you can use as much or as little info as you need, I especially like the Food Library that I have used frequently whilst out.

At the moment you can only use the Apple App but were are told an Android version will be with us very soon, I currently use an iPhone 5 & iPad 2 and the Dario App sync’s between the two – SUPERB.

On a totally different note has anyone heard anything from Cellnovo as the when or if they will ever release their Insulin Pump which I must say looked amazing when I saw it ?

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Diabetes Look Back March/April 2014

Hi,

As I have possibly mentioned many times before but I can’t believe we are already in Mid April – where does the time go 😄 ?

Since my last blog quite a lot has happened and I am still trying to keep fit as best I can.

In March I started having Physiotherapy for a frozen shoulder which I have had since before Christmas but being a typical many didn’t do much about it, having said that I did get referred by my local GP to have Physiotherapy at a local Hospital. My only issue was that they didn’t actually manipulate my shoulder and just gave me exercises to complete – which isn’t really good enough. I also have BUPA through my work which is a great option so I decided to take this and have been going to Physio at Bisham Abbey which is much better and is certainly helping me – it is a long battle though which is annoying. I was told that being Diabetic I am more prone to this type of problem than others.

So with regards to my fitness I have been cycling to and from work each day which is only about 4 miles but believe me it feels enough when you have been at work all day, I am using a Trek Cyclocross bike which is something like a Hybrid cycle and a Road cycle so fairly fast. This of course plays havoc with my blood sugar levels of which I have tried many different options but have discovered Torq Fitness products that I have found work really well, I use an Energy Gel like Torq Gel which has about 30g of Carbohydrates. I also use a drink Torq Energy again contains approx 30g of Carbohydrates. I have used this products for quite sometime now and they are easy to carry and have certainly worked for me – the products are really tasty as well.

We have just had a family holiday to the coast which was great but since returning I have had some big issues with my BG levels over the last 2 days, firstly I kept finding my BG levels were in double figures constantly so I changed the cannula on my Animas Vibe of which I discovered it was bent, so changed the cannula for a new one but still no change in BG levels, after removing another cannula I found it must have hit a blood vessel. Finally after the third cannula change it seemed to be working thank goodness as it is very frustrating not to mention making you feel unwell.

On another note I am so happy that the clocks went forward as this means the evenings stay lighter for longer and with my eye issues it makes the work of difference – see previous blog

Finally like many others I am still awaking the arrival of the Dario BG Meter which seems to be taking a long time to be released in the UK so I hope it’s worth the wait ?

Thanks as always for reading.

Andrew
http://www.mypump.co.uk
http://www.mypumpblog.com

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Diabetes Look Back February 2014

Hi all,

Firstly thank goodness the weather seems to have improved as February was certainly another wet month however the first week of March has actually seen some sunshine – let’s hope it continues J

I have as you know been cycling to and from work each day which has not been great with all the wet weather, my journey is only 4 miles but I now use a road cycle as opposed to my ebike (Electric bike) as it is a great way to keep fit but it certainly is harder work, I have also had some issues with my BG levels even though I have been having a 30carb energy bar before my commute. The worst part is not so much when I first get home but during the night as it most take quite a while for all that energy I have used to affect my BG level, this has meant a fair few very low BG’s during the night at 3.0 and below which is never very nice and can be quite scary.

So if you do have any suggestions to try and keep my BG level more stable during the night after my cycle commute I would really appreciate it as I am certainly doing something wrong ?

I am just waiting to test the iCare Advance BG Meter which on first impressions looks to be a very simple and straightforward to use BG meter, I also very much like the look of the New Bayer Contour Next BG Meter – both of which I hope to try soon and will let you know my thoughts.

I am sure like me you are possibly waiting to hear when the Dario BG meter will be released in the UK as it certainly looks very interesting and I know you can already use the App but still no meter – very frustrating.

Has anyone yet tried the New honey treatments which may help with Low BG levels as I have heard of two companies called Diabee Honey Doses and Honey on the go, however this is not something I have ever tried so again I would be very interested to hear your thoughts ?

As always please do keep me updated on any new products I may not yet have seen as I would love to hear from you or even if it is just to say “Hi”.

Have a great weekend.

Andrew

www.mypump.co.uk

www.mypumpblog.com

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Proliferative diabetic retinopathy & Dark evenings.

Posted in Diabetes, Insulin Pumps, tagged #Diabetes #Insulin #BG, Animas, Bayer, BG, Blood Test, Cellnovo, CGM, Dexcom, Diabetes, diabetes uk, diabetes week, diabetic, Enlite, eyesight, Hba1c, Hypo, Insulinpump, Medtronic, my pump, retinopathy, Roche, torch, Veo, Vibe, vision, vision express, vitrectomy on October 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Hi all,

So the end of British Summer time has finally hit us all with vengeance and at 5.00pm tonight it was almost dark which is awful.

As you may already know I have had numerous trips to eye clinics due to suffering with Diabetes Retinopathy for the past 7 years which is really awful and was a real scary shock when I was first told, it was Vision Express that actually discovered the problem and instantly booked me into my Diabetes eye clinic. The problem really started after I had small blood vessels at the back of my eyes burst which affected my vision and made it very cloudy in both eyes. The treatment started with laser to burn around the blood vessels which prevents any new weak blood vessels from forming which then burst. Laser itself is very uncomfortable indeed and I have had approx 10,000 burns in each eye which I am told is the limit but this does seem to have stopped the bleeding which is great news and I am so thankful to the Eye Specialists. After all the laser it still left my vision cloudy so meant I had to have what’s called a Vitrectomy in each eye which basically entails having the clear jelly in your eye removed (Your eye replaces this fluid), I can honestly say this operation is not nice at all and means you have dissolvable stitches in your eyeball (Gross I know). Having said all that If this had not been done I would certainly not be typing this Blog even though one eye has very poor vision and both eyes have awful night vision.

So to the present day – my eyes seem to be stable at the moment and my latest eyesight test did not show any problems, even my prescription had not changed apart from my short sight vision which has got slightly worse. My next Diabetes eye check up is at the Western Eye Hospital in a few weeks time so fingers crossed I get the all clear but I am a little worried.

One of the worst things I am left with is very poor small detail reading in both eyes meaning typing Blogs like this I have to have the page zoomed in to make the words larger, damage to my central vision in my right eye meaning details in my right eye is near on impossible to read, also my night vision is really bad and means I am unable to drive in poor light so this time of year is even worse as it is dark late afternoon. It means I have to carry a very bright torch with me that literally lights the whole path/road that cost me a fortune and even then it is really hard to see if I am on my own walking home from work, without a super bright torch I would literally be stuck and please let me know of any pocket torch companies who make super bright torches. We just take our vision for granted and I am also guilty of this in the past.

Thanks for reading and please feel free to comment.

Andrew Borrett

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