Eyesight Changing ?

[georgie]

Has anyone else noticed a change with their eyesight after going gluten-free ? I have worn contact lenses for 35 years. I know my eyes and what they should feel like. My prescription has been identical for 30 years and now - rapid changes.... Blurred vision both close up and at distance. I wear reading glasses now but the blurred vision is not just about reading ...its more like seeing double for everything I do. I had a new contact script 6 months ago and eyes had improved after 6 months of the gluten-free diet and B12 jabs.Now further changes and another appt.

Anyone else had this ?

[mftnchn]

Just noticed this myself. If it continues I think I will try to get a blood sugar screen for diabetes since that is associated with celiac.

[VioletBlue]

This is just a thought. As your eyes get older their ability to focus tends to be effected. If you find yourself doing close up work like reading a book or looking at a computer screen and then gaze across the room your eyes won't be able to refocus as quickly as they once could. It can take several minutes to refocus. The eyes are like every other part of our body unfortunately, they don't work as well as they used to.

Also prescriptions change at that certain age as well, and it seems to be even more pronounced if someone is extremely near sighted. It results from something called Presbyopia which is a slow loss of the ability to see things up close or read small print. It is a normal part of the aging process. You may not notice any change until somewhere after the age of 40. So I now wear lenses to correct the near sightedness and glasses over that for close up work Getting old sucks.

Violet

[grey]

I've noticed my vision changing since going gluten-free; in fact I literally *just* made an eye appointment before going online.

If you're having rapid changes, you should definately get checked. Presbyopia is a slow change, so that doesn't sound quite right. However, I think I'm noticing so much more about my body and health since going gluten-free that some things seem new or rapid that have been happening for a while.

Dangerous Grains suggests that the newly dx'd/gluten-free should hve their eyes checked quarterly becuase of the possibility of rapid vision change.

[georgie]

Dangerous Grains suggests that the newly dx'd/gluten-free should hve their eyes checked quarterly becuase of the possibility of rapid vision change.

Does it ? That sort of confirms what I am experiencing. For 30 years my script stayed exactly the same - now after 6 months can feel that I need another correction. I don't seem to hear my friends saying this. Their eyes changed a bit as they aged ( I am 47) but not rapidly every few months. Last time - my eyes had improved ! So lets hope that is the case again - at the moment I am getting a double vision effect which is what it felt like last time and that was that my contacts were too strong ... Its getting expensive though - my Insurance only allows one new set of glasses/ contacts a year.

[VioletBlue]

You can also get a type of double vision effect if the curvature of the contact lens isn't right. I went through four pairs of lens before getting the right curvature last time. I'd look up at the Moon at night and there would be a second ghost image beside the moon. The better the curvature got the less the ghost image. Some doctors seem to have a hard time with the whole curvature thing, why I don't know. Changes in curvature can also happen with age and when prescriptions change.

Perhaps you could ask the doctor for the least expensive lens type to try for awhile to deal with the cost of a rapidly changing prescription? The difference in sight for instance between a toric lens and a normal lens isn't always that great, but the price difference is huge.

Violet

[tom]

Ohhhhh at first I was dismayed that it was worsening eyesight w/ gluten-free, but then the tide turned!

Mine absoLUTEly got better w/ gluten-free!!

It was particularly noticeable because the deterioration was quite noticeably increasing those last 6 or more months of being just mostly wheat-free but not 100% check-your-toothpaste gluten-free.

(Ya I know, I was an idiot. Celiac/gluten-induced mental illness can do that)

I sure haven't thought of the eyesight thing in a long time. I'm goin on 4 yrs gluten-free.

<crosses fingers> Hope it's the sight getting better after all!!

[georgie]

I hope my eyesight is improving too ! I have made the appt for next week.. The new contacts made 6 months ago were good for 3 months and have now 'gone bad' again ...

[nmw]

My script changed a bit after going gluten-free, but the BEST thing is that my night vision has improved dramatically.

However, one of my glutening symptoms is inability to focus, fatigue and itchy eyes.

[GFinDC]

When I first got tri-focals a year ago. my eyedoc said that it is common to need a new prescription within 6 months of the first set. I get only 1 pair a year with my insurance also so have been holding off. Anyhow, it seems now my eye sight is changing possibly for the better after going gluten-free for a month. I used to read the computer screen through the top half of my lenses, but now can read it through the center to bottom half. At least today. Seems to vary as the days go on. Guess I will wait a while longer on a new prescription.

[Terbie]

My eye sight has significantly improved since I went off gluten. I've been gluten free for a little over a half a year and my eye doctor said my vision has improved more than a whole point! I've gone from a 4.5 to somewhere around 3.5. He said he's never really seen someone with that big of an improvement in such a short time.

I'm his first gluten-free patient, so he didn't know if that was the cause or not. From everyone's posts, it sounds like it is!

He did say that since I work where I stare at a computer screen all day that I have to wear my glasses twice a week at work to avoid eye strain. My eyes feel much better after doing that (didn't even realize that they hurt). Apparently, it messes up the blood vessels in your eyes. Just FYI for everyone.

[CuriousOne]

Even better.

Get the book Take Off Your Glasses and See

My vision has improved substantially since I started reading that book. I wore glasses/contacts for 12 years. I took them off when I started reading that book and haven't worn them since. Its been 8 months or so... and a lot of times my vision is really really clear. Go figure. Its sorta fluctuating a bit...and notice when I get glutened I get weakened...including my eyesight. I'm actually going to start researching it more and hopefully come up with solutions to this issue. I think its possible many of us can heal our vision. Since I have... although I still need to do more work since at times it weakens.. I'm close to the answer though.

[depechemead]

I was diagnosed Celiac disease in December 2012. I have been Gluten free for 3 months. I had an eye exam yesterday and my eyesight has improved. Changed by .50 and I have been where contacts for 15 years. My Optometrist said she's never seen that before.

[cavernio]

My last eye exam my eyes also improved, not a lot but a little. I thought it was just a curiosity really, but now I'm hoping in a years time they'll have improved more!

[EricaM15]

I've worn glasses since I was six years old and currently wear a strong prescription for nearsightedness. I haven't noticed a change in prescription, but when I was sick, my eyesight wasn't very clear at times--kind of fuzzy, I suppose, even when I wore my glasses/contacts, which I can't function without. After going gluten-free, I still have to wear visual correction in order to function, but I don't get the fuzziness I used to.

[GottaSki]

I am steadily improving as well - fun to see the puzzled expression on my optomitrist's face! At my worst my contacts were 3.75 for both eyes - currently 3.00 & 3.25.

Fun stuff

Also of note - when I have been at my worst even after removing gluten I would get temporarily blurry vision and very dry eyes - I believe that to have been caused by inflammation.