Obesity and Eyesight

Evidently these two are intertwined. If you are about to have weight loss surgery; have your eyes checked prior to and make sure you tell your doctor you are about to have the surgery and you want a thorough check and documentation of an eye exam. After you have lost a considerable amount of weight or what you feel is a considerable amount of weight -- return to this same eye doctor and have your eyes examined again. Due to headaches since December -- I've had my first appointment with the headache institute -- of course mo drugs -- yesterday I had an examine with a neuro-opthalmologist and due to obesity I have a lazy eyelid and have to have an orbital ultrsound so they can look behind the eye (left eye mostly) to make sure there isn't any water build up -- therefore causing pressure -- therefore causing the headaches. My doctor told me when they have obese patients they tell them they need to lose weight because that can effect the eyesight. So, if you haven't had an eye exam in awhile, please go have one.

Based on your OP, it appears that your eyesight has changed for the worse. (Fluid doesn't sound good.

I always thought that it would get better.   Was your doctor implying it might get worse after surgery or better?

I know i'm due for a yearly soon so we'll see how that goes.  I've always worn contacts. (In fact i even begged them to let me keep them on for my surgery last year cause i hate glasses so much) They did let me keep them in until just before they wheeled me into OR though.  ~K

 

 

Actually the subject never came up prior to surgery.  When I saw my eye doctor again it was about 8 months after WLS -- so I was actually about 6 months overdue with her.  I'm usually a yearly eye exam person, I've been wearing glasses since 6th grade -- they thought I was flunking algebra because I couldn't see the board --yeah right -- I just didn't like math. According to my last eye exam in October 2007 -- my vision hasn't changed either way.  I'm just over turning every stone to see why I'm having all these headaches and each doctor tells me eyesight and obesity are related.  Changes happen in the eyes due to obesity.  I think mine eyesight issues are probably due to too much computer use.  I work 8 hours a day on the computer and then go home take a break for a couple of hours and then I'm right back on there doing homework.  Well that will be history in the next 4 months -- thesis will be over and the only computer I'll be looking at is the one at work.  I think I might start seeing some difference then.  My doctor made me a pair of glasses that I use here at work just for the computer and they are a God-send.  I can't do anything else with them but drive. No, they don't let you wear contacts, tampons, wigs, dentures and probably a few other things we don't know about into surgery.  I know as far as the tampons go they say you might forget you have it on -- yeah right! I believe in the long run I'll be okay and the issue around the headaches will be resolved.

Last week Oprah had an episode where they were talking about WLS in teenagers and there was a girl who had had WLS when she was a teenager due to losing eyeshight (not due to diabetes or blood sugar!) the reason she stated was that appreantly the extra absorbed fat presured the nerves and it was getting worde until they performed WLS on her and now she has her 20/20 vision back. This was the first time I heard something liuke this so I can't verify it, Ellie

Interesting!  My eyesight has gotten a little worse every year.  I wonder if, suddenly, I'm going to need a new contacts prescription.  No headaches, though, and the last exam I had, a few weeks before my WLS, he said my retinas had zero diabetes damage.

Edie :  Get a new eye exam:  I had one at 1 week post op then noticed 2 months ago that I could not see as well as I had at first:  turns out my perscription changed with the weight loss :  It actually improved due to the diabetes being under control -- Who would have Thunk it LOL     Darla

I actually saw on TLC a few months ago that a woman was losing her eyesight because of being morbidly obese. I don't recall the exact condition, but basically there was a nerve that was being pinched because of her size, and she was losing her sight because of it. I don't know if my script changed, but I do know that my glasses are too big for my face/head, and are falling off all the time, lol.  I'm a few months overdue for a checkup (was due in November) so I'll be getting new ones in th enext month or two. I'll definitely ask about my script to see if there are any changes.

Kathy, Thanks for the info.  I'll take a look at the TLC Channel website to see if they have that information.  i think we speak with people about the surgery to also suggest that they have eye examinations while going through all the other pre-op testing.  Growing up my eye doctors never said anything to me about the correlation of weight and eyesight. Yeah, my doctor switched my prescription from progressive to bifocals -- but I have been going back and forth with progressives to bifocals for a few years -- fortunately I've had the same physician for the past couple of years and I have the utmost confidence in her.  She is not involved in any of these chain opthalmologist stores and owns her own practice and have the skills to MAKE the eyeglasses.  She made my pair for the computer, but my progressives (that I'm wearing now) she sent out.. Thanks for responding and I see we had the same clinic.