Has anybody noticed a decline in their eye sight since becoming b12 deficient?

[mdoh1918]

hi everyone ... quick question. I always wore glasses the odd time for migraines or for reading but generally eye sight has been good. I've just noticed the last month and expecially the last week a deterioration. bit blurry and unfocused when watching TV or reading something in the distance. is this b12 related or do I just need stronger glasses ? 😂 I often see colours stronger in one eye than the other too.....always have though. just curious to whether is generally my eyesight or b12. thanks for reading this ☺

[wedgewood]

I noticed a decline in my hearing , which has now been halted after injections of B12 .(I have P.A. which means low or no stomach acid ) As lack of B12 affects the myelin of the nerve sheath , I suppose that any nerves in the body can be affected . It may well be the reason for your eyesight decline

As we age , our supply of stomach acid declines . This acid plays an important part in the absorption of B12 . In later life it’s almost accepted that our hearing , sight , continence etc declines . Could a lack of stomach acid be playing a part in this ? Should B12 supplementation be a part of treatment when we start to reach advanced years ? There is no NHS test for stomach acid , which is a huge shame . It’s something I often think about .

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to wedgewood]

My P.A. experience (with tongue in cheek)

To my deafness I'm accustomed

And my dentures are just fine.

I can cope with my bi-focals,

But how I miss my mind...

[Marz in reply to wedgewood]

Dr Sarah Myhill mentions that everyone over 50 or was it 60 needs B12 injections ...

drmyhill.co.uk

[wedgewood in reply to Marz]

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a G.P. like Dr Myhill ?

[Marz in reply to wedgewood]

Blessed with common sense as well as thinking outside the box. Have you read about her website for Global practitioners ? - something she financed personally. They also accept experienced patients. It will be on her website

[wedgewood in reply to Marz]

Yes , I’m really a devotee of hers . When I failed to get any help from my GP when I was so very unwell with what was eventually was found to be PA ( diagnosed by a private GP at a Nuffield Hospital ) I initially tried to get an appointment with her , but she is accepting no new patients , and you can’t even get on her waiting list .She concentrates on patients who are even more badly treated than P.A. Patients — i.e. M.E. and C.F.S. She should be knighted ! I think she is marvellous to keep going in the face of what can only be described as hatred from convential medical practitioners . Her website is open to all and there are wonderful health tips on it . As you say, she has common sense by the shed-load , and a very enquiring mind . God bless her .

[Statesideheather]

My eyesight deteriorated rapidly over a 2 year span. I've never worn glasses. I was seeing blurry, having trouble focusing. My night vision was horrible. I also had a strong intolerance to light. While shopping for groceries, I would feel like I wanted to huddle on the ground to escape the fluorescent lighting. With supplementing, my eyesight has returned to what it always was, as far as I can tell. It took a few months. I do get bouts of stinging and watering out of nowhere, which I blame on B12 issues. Not sure if that is truly related. Oh, my hearing was also affected. That has also apparently returned to what it always was before noticing a rapid decline. No issues since with hearing.

[Alfabeta]

High used to get blurred vision prior to b12 injections - sometimes I could not see my hand clearly in front of my face. These incidents lasted for about 10 seconds but I would get more subtle blurred vision quite often which would last longer. This has continued since my b12 treatment. I have had my eyes checked and I have not been prescribed glasses so it is likely that it is b12 related.

[deniseinmilden]

Me too and my glasses couldn't help. After more than a year of SI and supporting supplements, one of the best things about last winter was seeing all the fine twigs in the trees again.

Even when I had plenty of B12 I found increasing my magnesium made an additional improvement.

Another year on and I rarely think about it.

If you get enough of everything you need it should return in time.

[mdoh1918]

thanks everyone for the replies. I've been on si every other day for a few months now. ...many many improvement but eyes sight is bothering me. I have an opticians appointment soon so I'll menation it. I'm only 23 so to be getting blurry eyes is worrying especially that my degree is in close up embroidery.... 😐😐 maybe in time they will improve I hope.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to mdoh1918]

you mention migraines - do you know if you have silent migraines - lots of other symptoms but no headaches - and blurry is one of the features. I get snow and have days when I just give up on the idea of being able to focus - but then I'm not doing embroidery My migraines are hormonally related and have changed in character over the years - mainly not silent but do occasionally get a silent migraine.

Do you know what triggers/triggered your migraines?

[mdoh1918 in reply to Gambit62]

I'd never heard of silent migraines to be honest. ... I just Googled it. I'm not sure... I get a throbbing pain in my right eye usually sometimes both eyes.... around the head. I usually put a cold pack in my head. so that doesn't sound like ito? unless I don't realise it is. I'm not sure what triggers them no.... but sometimes I crave sugar before hand and I know one is coming. though I've read that is quite common. 😯😯

[helvella in reply to mdoh1918]

I found it quite interesting to view some of the representations of migraine auras that people have posted around the web. Click on Images in Google. My own tend to be not too far away from this:

kopzorgen.nl/images/aura.jpg

The auras that I get as silent migraines have been visually almost identical to ones that came with painful migraines in years past.

[mdoh1918 in reply to helvella]

hmm I'm not sure mine are auras...my sight doesn't really change when I get the migraines....it more throbbing and light sensitive. the blurry eyes happen independently to the migraines. such a difficult problem to solve. I wonder is it triggered by foods 😐 thank you for the reply

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to mdoh1918]

mdoh - my intention was to suggest that may be the character of your migraines has changed slightly and you are now getting some silent migraines - I didn't realise that my problems with focusing were anything to do with migraines until I was talking with an old school friend and her sister who has silent migraines and they run in her family. Since then I've been aware of shooting stars ... and also patches of chromatic aberation (patches of distorted colour) - on one occasion I experienced fuzzy lines in the middle of my field of vision and there was no headache at all. My friends sister is an artist so silent migraines are really debilitating for her.

some migraines do seem to be the result of lowered blood sugars - and there is some thought that actually things that people regard as triggers (cravings for particular sweet foods) are really the body trying to correct the imbalance - so warning signs rather than triggers.

[mdoh1918 in reply to Gambit62]

hm well that's very interesting ...never heard of this I will definitely look into it for sure. especially by the colour thing. ... thank you so much for this information ☺

[jpar in reply to Gambit62]

Yes, I get silent migraines also. They have gotten much better this year adding the B12 shots. However, it seems that my biggest trigger is MSG, l-glutamate and l- glutamine, which is in all protein powders and bars, soysauce, Dortitos, cup of noodles, etc.

As far as the eyes, my vision has been terrible the last couple of years but it doesnt show on eye exams except for the usual loss of close up vision. My vision comes in and out all the time, but the most difficulty is in the mornings. It also has helped since I've stopped taking any hormones and stopped taking melatonin. And I do believe that the B12 and iron has been helping

[helvella]

mdoh1918,

Have you had your thyroid thoroughly investigated?

(Yes - we thyroid bods always pop up suggesting everything could be caused by thyroid issues. )

Without any doubt, thyroid levels can affect vision - focus, colour and depth perception, tiredness, tracking of movement, pretty much every aspect.

From personal experience I had reduced colour perception (as if someone turned down the chrominance on a television), less ability to cope with oncoming headlamps, discomfort around the orbit. Someone I know well had effectively monochrome vision for a while. With better thyroid hormone levels my lens prescription changed enough to need new glasses.

This is absolutely NOT meant to put you off following through B12 and eyesight investigation and research. Just to make sure you don't miss the thyroid possibility.

[mdoh1918 in reply to helvella]

hi helvella yes funnily enough I have had every test for thyroid except t3....couldn't afford it at the time but I am going to get it done in Poland in a few weeks when it might there because my doctor here won't do it as the rest of my results came back "In range" I posted all my results on the thyroid board here and was told they were OK. ...possified borderline but generally OK. so my plan is to see this thyroid doctor on Poland when I'm there and see what comes from it. I react to a lot of food too and feel nauseous alot too. it's been difficult to identify he actual root of my problem 😐😐 thanks for the info

[helvella in reply to mdoh1918]

Nausea was another issue I had for several months.

Someone I know well has developed many food issues along with her Hashimoto's.

[mdoh1918 in reply to helvella]

yea you see I have so many symptoms that match thyroid and hashimoto but apparently my thyou'd Is OK. so frustrating....this is why I'm going to get the t3 test done as one last investigation into thyroid. other wise I'm rearly quite stumped as what's the issue here. my hair loss is mad and I know a woman who had thyroid diagoosed too late and she has very very thin hair now and it never grew back.

[helvella in reply to mdoh1918]

Make sure you get both Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies and Thyroglobulin antibodies tested.

And post back on Thyroid UK forum. Send me a Private Message then - if you wish.

[mdoh1918 in reply to helvella]

Oh thank you very much that's very kind of you. I actually think I had them tests don't a few weeks back. I'll find them and send them to you☺ thanks again

[BrokenLeg1]

Yes! I have all symtoms including anemia, iron deficient and B12 deficient. When my vision became blurry within 10 days of eye exam I questioned both eye doc and internist. I was "dismissed" and told not to worry. Well, in the USA, a full blood panel does not include B12 or folate! I had to demand this be done. Giving self b12 injs weekly and 1000mcg methylb12 with 400 mg folate oral daily. This is scary to not be taken serious by doctors. Vision still blurry and hope it is not permanent

Other symptoms especially no balance is not improving

[spacey1]

I went back to my optician for another eye test because my vision was blurry. They didn't change the prescription for my reading glasses, so I put it down to B12. It did get better, and I haven't used my glasses more than a couple of times in the last six months. However, I've noticed days in the last month when my vision is blurry again. It's very odd.

[mdoh1918]

Thanks everyone for your replies i went to the optician and he said my eye sight had not changed. what he said was that due to my b12 deficiency i i wasnt coping with my eyesight as well as i am always tired, hence straining my eyes. (I always strain my eyes subconsciously) so he said not to worry and to just wear my glasses more often and then when i start to feel better from the b12 jabs then i will find i wont need to glasses as often. Interesting..... i hope this is correct