Hi All
I have started the blood sugar diet last week. Last year I did another diet which was very low in Carbs too and had the same problem.
My issue is on both occasions, I do well on the diet, the weight is coming off, and I am getting used to the 800 calories, so all good, however, this week I have noticed that my eye sight has suddenly deteriorated quite considerably.
I am finding that I need my reading glasses for distance and I am struggling to see when reading. As I said I had this problem last year on a low carb diet. I went to the optician, and discussed this, and indeed my eye test was significantly different to my prescription. In short as soon as I started eating carbs again, my eyesight and prescription returned to normal.
I don’t want to stop the diet or start eating carbs, just wondered if anyone else has had the same problems and if I continue with the diet will it correct itself in time?
Thanks

Hi tidyrockchick,

I can only talk about my experience as someone with type ii diabetes so I’m not clear if this is relevant to yourself.
I experienced eye focussing troubles when I was first diagnosed, started the BSD and went low carb. From being on diabetes websites, I know this is not uncommon among people with Type II diabetes doing low carb.
The explanation I’ve read in a few places is that the lenses of our eyes alter shape depending on our blood sugar level and our brains help to adapt to that state. When we go low carb and our blood sugar levels alter (reduce), the lens also alters. This can affect our vision for a period. Basically, its our brains and eyes adjusting to the new state of play. It does stabilise after a few weeks – mine did.
I know it’s pretty standard advice to not change your glasses prescription until after your blood sugar levels have stabilised for a period at the lower level; I was told by my retinopathist to wait six months.

As I say, I don’t know your circumstances, but I guess if you don’t have diabetes it still could be a similar thing happening. I hope this helps.
Jennie

hello tidyrockchick and Jennie. Just as I was diagnosed with T2 I suddenly found I couldn’t see out of my glasses (I have worn since age15), here in France it is almost impossible to get an appoint with an opthamologist as opticians here are not allowed to test eyes so there is always a long waiting list. My doctor knew of a newly qualified young lady who had a short list. I went to see her, she berated me for wearing the wrong glasses and said my sight for at least 4 points better. Anyway, she gave me a new prescription. Still being in France and glasses being expensive it cost me €800 for a new pair. Several weeks later the diabetes meds kicked in and my eye sight went back to my normal very short sighted status and I was left with a useless pair of glasses and now needed another pair as I had thrown the original ones out. Fortunately, was back visiting UK and got a pair £230, What a waste of time and money. Obviously she had never learnt about people with diabetes having changes to their vision.

That said, Jennie is correct, this diet lowers your blood glucose levels and that impacts on your vision. Hopefully, this should be temporary and go back to normal but if it doesn’t, then you should mention it to your doctor (you dont seem to be diabetic or on meds but it would help if we knew). You might need to be tested for blood sugar issues or, have your eyes retested. Check with your doctor first as you dont want to be paying out for something you might only need for a few weeks.

Just one other thing. Besides the changes to your blood glucose levels, you also lose a lot of fluid when on any low calorie diet, it is the bodies way of eliminating the fat molecules. This loss of fluid can change the fluid levels surrounding the eye and that is more likely to make your vision worse (the low BG can actually improve your vision). Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, between 1.5 and 2 litres daily – this can include tea and coffee and other wet foods or drinks so you dont have to guzzle it all as water.

Thank you Jennie and Sunshine girl for taking the time to reply to my post.
It helps to hear that others have had the same issue with vision. I an determined to persevere and hopefully my brain will quickly get used to the improvements in my blood sugar.
I’m not diagnosed with diabetes. I have had 1 high bs reading at the docs and have decided to do the BSD before I get a second reading.
Fingers crossed I can keep going and motivated and end up with a good result on the blood sugar weight and eyesight
Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

Now that explains things. My eyesight deteriorated and I got a big jelly belly at the same time. So I’m on day one of the BSD.

wow well I have learnt something here, I’m on day 6 and my eye sight has been the same the last few days, I bit disorientating to. thanks for the info and also the question!

It’s such a shame nobody thinks to tell us these things, but there you are. Hope things go well for you both.
Jennie

Hi all, I too had an immediate significant decrease in my eyesight after starting the BSD. I don’t have diabetes and when I mentioned the problem to my GP she didn’t know of any correlation and so didn’t recommend anything. I’ve been on it 8 weeks now and I suppose it’s better but not back to where it was pre BSD. I even have to wear my glasses when watching tv which I’ve never had to do before. When I googled it I couldn’t find any reliable info and there was certainly nothing about it in the book. For me the benefits of the weight loss, especially being able to wear clothes that I haven’t fitted into for a couple of years, are outweighing the eyesight problems so I’m continuing on with it and hoping it will resolve with time.

Good luck to you all.

So glad I found this post x My eyesight has been affected by type two diabetes so trying to eat healthy for eye health as well as diabetes two x

Hi Gayn
Yes, I also read (don’t post on) the forum on diabetes.co.uk and the question about eye sight comes up fairly regularly from newly diagnosed people with Type II . The responses from other T2s included the advice about not changing glasses too soon, but, as I mentioned above, I was also told by the retinopathist when she was checking my eyes as part of my initial diabetes checks to leave getting a new prescription for glasses for around 6 months.
Jennie xx

Have you tried drinking vitamins?