Diabetes: The retina experts I saw said it could have been "early worsening"

I had a hemmorage in my left eye due to retinopathy and the eye dr. is sending me to a retina specialist Friday to see what can be done about it. This is the first time since diagnosis of retin. that I've had a problem. I got diag. with diabetes last August and retin. in Sept. Very scared about it-and reading up on possible treatments didn't help-does it ever? Has anyone else had any experience with this? Was feeling good at end of May my A1c was 6.4 down from 12 last August. Woke up Wednesday and had what I would describe as a sunspot in my field of vision. Thanks everyone for responding.

The same thing happened to me a few years ago shortly after diagnosis. The retina experts I saw said it could have been "early worsening" (if that syndrome actually exists). I went to Johns Hopkins as well as to a local retinal specialist. I refused laser photocoagulation, much to the protest of my docs. In my case it turned out to be a good idea to wait, since my macular edema has subsided on its own. I still have distortion in the visual field, but test nearly 20-20. I first perceived blind spots in bright sunlight, but noticed the linear distortion later.

Photocoagulation is not a cure. It is supposed to halt the further degradation of vision only. It is an ablative procedure that destroys / burns retinal blood vessels. Depending how bad your leakage is, it may be advisable, but the retina docs are overly anxious to do these laser burns. You have a difficult decision to make (unless your retina doc advises against photocoagulation, and I betcha a dime he recommends same).

There is some debate about "early worsening" and whether it is for real. Docs noticed in a couple of trials that certain patients (couple percent) show a sudden worsening in diabetic retinopathy (usually characterized as macular edema which simply means a swelling of the macular area of the retina due to vessel leakage) if they get their blood sugar under very rapid control after a period of high blood susgar. The literature even suggests that docs should warn patients not to rush glycemic normalcy, but to spread it out over a couple or thee months. As I say, I am not at all convinced there is an early worsening syndrome, and you will never hear about it from an endo, but it seems to have bit me on the ass, and maybe you too.