Could low blood sugar cause temporary blindness and/or blurred vision?
By primshine
@primshine (65)
October 18, 2011 12:15am CST
I know this probably isn't the best place or website to ask for medical advice but could you guys possibly give me some ideas or personal experiences that may answer my question? Yesterday I started slowly losing my vision in my left eye while my right eye was just blurry and starting to fade. I took a drink of water and closed my eyes and relaxed and my eye site came back BUT before that happened I was seeing "stars" for no real reason. I assumed I was seeing stars from moving too fast and possibly getting dizzy but that likely wasn't the case sense I started losing my vision.
I remember another time I was walking outside and everything starting going black. Not completely just everything was gray and blurry and very difficult to see. It came back after I stopped and closed my eyes and rested for a minute. I didn't do anything strenuous and I was just walking normally.
I guess the other time didn't concern me BUT now it concerns me since I'm pregnant. That could be really dangerous if I'm driving or walking and I end up hurting myself. This rarely ever happens. I used to have vision problems when I would get migraines but I haven't gotten a real migraine in a long while, so I don't think I have an aura migraine or anything of that nature.
I have been testing for anemia and diabetes at one point both of which were normal. I did high cholesterol but I've been eating healthier since I found that out which was probably almost a year ago.
2 people like this
4 responses
@jjzone44 (917)
• United States
18 Oct 11
Pregnancy brings about a lot of changes in a woman's body, besides the obvious visual ones. That being said, loss of vision in one or both eyes could be the signs of a TIA, which is very serious.
I would definitely see a doctor, and if this occurs again emergency treatment is warranted.
@primshine (65)
•
18 Oct 11
Thank you for the reply jjzone.
I have never heard of TIA. I'll look it up and see what it's all about. I know I will be going to the doctor if this happens again. I know both times I was a bit hungry, so I thought maybe it was just low blood sugar or pressure. Thanks again for the reply :)
@jjzone44 (917)
• United States
18 Oct 11
There is such a thing as gestational diabetes, so you could be right about blood sugar being the culprit.
A TIA is a Transient Ischemic Attack, which is a temporary loss of blood flow to a specific area of the brain. This article: http://1.usa.gov/qRmnm1 which points to the National Library of Medicine, explains them further. One thing on there I found of interest is that diabetes is a risk factor for TIA.
@primshine (65)
•
18 Oct 11
Hmm. I'll take a look at that for sure. Thanks for the link! Yeah, my ob/gyn talked about gestational diabetes but she said she wouldn't check that out until I'm further along.
@kareemadivina (1230)
• Philippines
18 Oct 11
You mention that you're not diabetic,your hemoglobin is normal and your pregnant.There must be some other reasons of your blurred vision.How many months are you pregnant?Does your urine tested positive for Albumin or protein?Do you have swelling in your hands and feet?
Pregnant women are at risk for eclampsia especially in the second trimester of pregnancy.It's exact cause is not known.It's main symptom is blurring of vision,hypertension,protein in the urine,headache and dizziness.If you have these symptoms,you should visit your doctor immediately to prevent defects on the baby and for further treatment.
@primshine (65)
•
18 Oct 11
Hi Karee. Thanks for the reply. I'm exactly 2 months (8 weeks) today. So, I guess I'm not that far along in my pregnancy. I have had a urine test, I'm not sure if they tested for those things though? I do not have any swelling or any other symptoms other than the normal pregnancy symptoms and what I described about the blurry/temporary partial blindness.
I see the doctor in about 3 weeks. I'll mention all of this then, unless you think I should go in sooner than that? I'm completely fine as of now, with no real symptoms, so I'm not sure if I should make a big deal about it or wait until other problems arise or if I go blind again. This has happened once before, before I was pregnant. So i'm not 100% sure if this was caused by pregnancy or worsened from it or if it's just something else completely different.
Thanks for your reply. I'll definitely be talking to my doctor about the things you mentioned even if I'm not in my second trimester yet. I don't want to harm the baby in anyway!
@EdnaReyes (2622)
• Philippines
18 Oct 11
Since you are pregnant, blurred vision is not a good sign. Better see your doctor and tell her about this. you could be experiencing impending pregnancy complication and it is better to solve this earlier with your doctor. Go and see your doctor at once.
