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Why can I suddenly see better without my glasses?

If you have poor eyesight, a sudden improvement could be a warning sign of diabetes, the UK's Daily Express reports. High blood sugar causes fluid levels in the eyes to change, and these fluctuations can impact eyesight. So if your eyesight suddenly seems to be getting better, you should consult a doctor.

lshf.org - Has Your Vision Suddenly Improved? That May Not Be a Good Sign | LSH

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Did you know that if you have poor eyesight, a sudden improvement could be a sign of diabetes?

Even if you don’t have some of the more common symptoms of type 2 diabetes — such as a numb or tingling feeling in hands and feet, fatigue, insatiable thirst, or a frequent need to go to the bathroom — a sudden improvement, or worsening, in your vision could be a warning sign of high blood sugar. Why? High blood sugar causes the fluid levels in your body to change, even inside the eyes. Our eyes have chambers that are filled with thin watery fluid (aqueous and vitreous humor). This fluid helps your eye maintain its shape. Any changes in those fluid levels can impact your eyesight, making it better or worse. It is possible to have diabetes and not yet be aware of it. You could have mild signs and symptoms of diabetes that don’t make you feel bad enough to really notice. So if your vision suddenly improves, or worsens, it’s important to get checked out as soon as possible. A simple blood test will tell you if you are diabetic.

Diabetes and Eye Health

Unfortunately, more than 34 million Americans have diabetes and another 88 million are prediabetic, according to the CDC.1 In fact, one in three American adults is prediabetic, but only about 10% are aware of it. Diabetes can lead to many health issues, and this includes eye problems. Diabetics are at risk for cataracts, blurred vision, glaucoma, retinopathy, and these conditions can lead to blindness. Certainly, people without diabetes can develop these issues but if you are diabetic, you are more at risk. For example, people with diabetes tend to get cataracts at a younger age and the cataracts often progress more quickly. A cataract is formed when the normally clear lens in the eye gets cloudy, making it harder to see — like looking through a foggy window. Other symptoms of cataract include faded colors; double vision; increased light and glare sensitivity; halos around lights; the need for frequent eyeglass prescriptions; or a need for brighter reading light. Cataracts can develop slowly, but eventually they are likely to interfere with your vision.

What You Can Do to Help Your Eye Health

Diabetes puts you at greater risk for eye issues, so if you find out that you do have diabetes, it’s important to be proactive about your eye health. If you experience any of the following, you should get an eye exam:

Your night vision has changed.

Your eye seems to have a discharge or infection.

You’re getting frequent headaches.

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You have disruptions in your vision such as black spots or floaters.

You experience eye fatigue that lasts for days.

You’re having a hard time getting your eyes to focus.

There are also things you can do to preserve your eye health. Here are some of the steps you can take to help prevent diabetic eye disease and keep your eyes functioning properly for as long as possible: Control your blood sugar: this will help maintain the fluids in your eyes which helps keep the shape of your eyes. Watch your cholesterol: higher cholesterol puts you at even higher risk for eye diseases. Don’t smoke cigarettes: if you smoke and have diabetes, you are at higher risk for issues such as diabetic retinopathy.

Maintain healthy blood pressure.

Exercise and eat healthy meals: both these habits can help you control your blood sugar levels and cholesterol.

Do something that reduces your stress, such as meditation or walking.

Increase water intake: dehydration can raise blood sugar levels.

Use sunglasses.

Get regular eye exams.

How LSH Can Help You

If you do develop eye problems such as cataracts, seek medical help to find out what your options are. If you find yourself in need of eye surgery, we might be able to help. Since cataracts make seeing clearly difficult, it can interfere with your daily activities. It can also lead to depression and social isolation. If you do develop cataracts, it’s likely you’ll need cataract surgery to keep your sight from getting worse. This is a procedure that removes the eye lens and replaces it usually with an artificial lens. Cataract surgery is a common procedure — close to 4 million are performed in the United States each year. Most often there are great outcomes and few to no side effects. Unfortunately, cataract surgery can be very expensive. Medicare or private health insurance might cover part of the expense, but often not all. So even with insurance, you might need to pay a fair amount in your copay and uncovered costs. But if you live in our service area and qualify, we can help cover the cost of your cataract surgery. To find out if you qualify, go to How Do I Qualify or call 1-800-647-6638. We do more than help with just cataract surgery. We also help with other eye issues, including retinal detachment, retinal tear, surfer’s eye (pterygium) and gas bubbles on the retina. Read about the different vision issues LSH can help with.

lshf.org - Has Your Vision Suddenly Improved? That May Not Be a Good Sign | LSH

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