I freaked out my eye doctor tonight

(bambiying2) #1

I had my annual eye check up. She was like, “That’s really strange. Your eyesight got better. That doesn’t normally happen.” I laughed and told her that I’m eating a certain way to lose weight and I’ve heard from other people that did this, that their eyes got better. I wanted to see if that would happen to me. She asked me all about the diet and said she’s going to go research it now. She also couldn’t believe that I could read so close up at age 44. She says most of her 44 year olds need some kind of bifocal so they can see both near and far with the same glasses. I could see fine both ways with just my distance lenses.

(Arlene) #2

I turn 60 this year and I don’t have close up vision problems either. I hope I never need reading glasses.

(eat more) #3

oh dear lord please!
i have reading glasses everywhere…including on my face as i type this!

(Richard Morris) #4

prof Noakes said that his reading improved on keto too.

(Craig) #5

As an optometrist, am always amazed by the fluidity in the eyes’ refractive status in response to variation in blood glucose.

Tightening glucose control often leads to a reversal of the hyperopic (longsighted) or myopic (shortsighted) shift attributed to the change in lens shape as a result of elevated blood glucose. Whether you experience this as an improvement depends on your starting point.

Eg If you start already slightly longsighted and undergo a longsighted shift as a result of elevated blood glucose, then experience a shortsighted reversal as a result of tightened glucose control, you will experience this as an improvement in both your distance and reading unaided distance vision.

However, if you start already slightly shortsighted and undergo the same longsighted shift as a result of elevated blood glucose as above, then experience the same shortsighted reversal as a result of tightened glucose control as above, you will experience this as a worsening of your unaideddistance vision, but an improvement in your unaided reading vision.

More permutations exist if you consider that the initial refractive shift due to elevated glucose is not always a longsighted one as in the above examples, it can also be a shortsighted shift.

It is for this reason that we’ll often recommend holding off on prescribing new specs until blood glucose is stabilised.

(Richard Morris) #6

Fascinating.

My first symptom that I would one day become diabetic was one day I woke up unable to read a font on my computer smaller than about 1/2". Which for a programmer who had previously 20:20 vision … that was terrifying.

Then I had a blood test and I had a fasting glucose of 351 mg/dl and an HbA1c of 11.2%

It turns out I had a low level of blood in my glucose circulation system … or at least not enough water so it was sucked out of other tissue including the aqueous of my eyes.

(Craig) #7

Hi Richard

Was probably not so much just the removal of water from the aqueous, but where it ended up.

Your increased blood glucose would have led to an increase in aqueous glucose, which invaded the lens via diffusion. After being converted to sorbitol and accumulating in the lens cells, the resultant osmotic gradient sucked the water into your lenses.

A waterlogged lens will be less clear, have an altered refractive index, and be less able to change shape to accommodate for near focus.

Your loss of near focus ability suggests that you had a longsighted (hyperopic) shift in your refraction, or your accommodation was knocked out, or a combination of both.

Richard, do you mind me asking, did you have an eye examination at that time, and did you show any evidence of cataract or retinopathy?

(Cathy) #8

I have improved vision as well. I have gone from a -3.25 to -2.25 (not sure what that actually means) except that it is improved in terms of being able to see stuff at a distance. I have never needed reading glasses and still don’t. As a result of this, I wear 1 contact for distance and my other eye is for close up (known as mono vision). I am 61. Most people I know close to my age, (if not all) need glasses to read. Lucky? Maybe but I do believe it has more to do with being keto for the last 7+ yrs…

(Jacquie) #9

I’m 69 yrs. old and have worn gas perm lens for many years (started with hard lens at 16). I’ve had monovision lens for many years and avoided reading glasses up until a couple of years ago. I’m extremely myopic but at my last visit my distance vision had gotten much better but close up did get a bit worse. Without contacts or glasses, I have fabulous close up vision. :slight_smile: I’ve been low carb since the mid-90’s, paleo, Whole30 and now keto (over 2.5 yrs.).

(Trent Almon) #10

I had a physical the other day and the nurse said “wow! You’ve got really good vision.” I asked do you mean for a 43 year old? She said “for anybody.” Im loving the keto life.

#11

I just got back from the eye doc today, and I received great news! I’m 32 and for the past 4 years my eye sight has been going downhill. When I was in my early twenties my vision was 20/30! Every time I had an annual check up it was up (or in my case down) another .5 on my prescription. Well, today my left eye stayed the same and my right eye improved by .25! I’m about to hit my 6 month Keto anniversary so I’ll just add this to the NSV list. Keto $&/(ing rocks you guys.

(Craig) #12

Hi Cathy

Changing from a prescription of -3.25 dioptres to -2.25 dioptres means that your eyes’ optimum focal length changed from approx. 30 cm to approx. 45 cm. You became less shortsighted! Congrats.

I note that you a wear a monovision contact lens correction ie a distance lens in one eye (usually your distance-dominant eye) and unaided in the other eye, utilising that 45 cm near focus.

You’re walking around with an invisible monocle, Colonel Klink, from Hogan’s Heroes, style, except he wore his on his non-dominant eye for near vision. Enjoy!

(Cathy) #13

Hi Craig,

Thank you for explaining that to me. I have no knowledge of this subject but find it fascinating - particularly in the context of keto. I love the analogy of a monocle!!! LOL! I might add that I am delighted that I can skip glasses for the majority of my day. They are such a pain.

(Roxanne) #14

Alas my vision didn’t improve as I had hoped, but I’ve always been very short sighted (-6.5 and -4.5). I was hoping 6 months keto would give a slight improvement, but it’s still dropped .25 in one eye. But I had a new type of scan done, and she said I have unusually large optic nerves…not that it’s good or bad…“it’s like having a large nose”…but I chose to take it as a positive thing :slight_smile:

(Michael Wallace Ellwood) #15

Or if you want a more sophisticated role model, you could be Lord Peter Wimsey. :wink:

(Craig) #16

Hi Roxanne

Your amount of myopia(shortsightedness) will often be associated with an increase in the axial length of the eyes ie myopic eyes, when measured, are often physically longer than normal.

Many theories exist as to what genetic predispositions and environmental influences are driving this myopic shift in modern populations.

I think the jury is still out on keto’s ability to effectively reverse significant amounts of myopia in eyes with demonstrable axial lengthening.

Most of the variation in refraction seen with tightening glucose control is thought to be associated with a change in hydration of the lens, which could result in either more or less myopia.

Was interested to hear about your new eye scan. Believe it may have been fundus photography, where we take a picture of the structures at the back of your eyes, or OCT (optical coherence tomography), where we can actually view the deeper layers of these structures.

Yes, like noses, eyes come in all different shapes and sizes!

(Craig) #17

Hi Mike

Am obviously not as well read as you. Up until now, was unaware of Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey.

Appears that he may be left eye distance dominant.

Gotta wonder whether either of these guys ever wore any lens power in their monocles while on set? Had a quick look on Google photo search, and am not convinced.

(Roxanne) #18

That was it, I think. Was glad that it found no new issues!

(David) #19

(Stickin' with mammoth) #20

It’s not just keto.

I reduced my contact lens prescription from a -4.75 to a -2.25 over a decade by simply convincing myself that it was possible and then finding optometrists willing to prescribe one step less than I needed to give my eyes space to relax into. Worked like a charm. In fact, it would have worked even faster had I not gotten sidelined by other projects and shifted my focus, so to speak.

I did all this while transitioning through a SAD diet, pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan, raw vegan, SAD diet again, and then keto. I did no special eye exercises, took no bilberry, and I rarely wear sunglasses. My entire nuclear family is profoundly nearsighted; my eyes are still improving. In fact, most days, I wake with near-perfect vision and I can relax into clear flashes throughout the day when I concentrate.

I’ll be lens-free by 50.