derekd419
Explorer
A quick disclaimer: the point is not to scare anybody, I am simply sharing what happened in my own case.
Okay, background first: type 1 diabetic here. Tirz was my starting point 8 months ago, & May is when I switched over to Reta. Floaters turned up in my right eye back in March. I had it checked out & the eye specialist confirmed diabetic retinopathy, which is all new territory for me. 25 years or so of being diabetic, and it was pretty poorly controlled right up until 2 years ago, when a pump & CGM system finally came my way. Since then, A1C went from a 13 to a nice 6.7 as of literally today's endo appointment. To be upfront - Yes, GLP-1's carry a chance of causing vitreous hemorrhages & retinal detachment. No - I am not claiming that is definitely what is behind the vitreous hemorrhage I have right now. What I am saying is that the possibility is a big one. My endo's instruction today was to absolutely not stop my GLP (as far as she knows I'm still on zepbound, and mentioning Reta to her strikes me as a bad idea for obvious reasons, this may be a mistake but it's all on me at the end of the day), and her view is that GLP's did not cause the eye issue, because my A1C came down gradually across a longer period, & because GLP's generally trigger eye trouble when there is a huge, rapid A1C drop.
I'm of two minds, because GLP's have improved my life in so many ways. 80 pounds are gone: in October 2025 I was 272 lbs. and I'm currently 190 lbs. today. My A1C is 6.7 against a goal of 6.4. Eating habits are perfect, energy is better, confidence is coming back. Then the eye thing lands and puts a spanner in the progress. Mentally I am fine, and the vision in the affected eye has actually improved since last Wednesday when it occured. Days 1 and 2 I couldnt see anything, but faces are visible again now, which I test by having people hold fingers up to see if I'm able to see & guess correctly & I'm able to now. Next Thursday is surgery: they're going to remove the blood & laser the vessels so they don't bleed again. 0.03% chance I lose my vision in that eye permanently, so I'm confident everything will be okay.
Following my endo's advice, I've made the choice to carry on with my Reta. A second opinion is something I do want to get this week though.
Anyone else here who is type 1 and using tirz or reta: PLEASE book an eye doctor appointment, even if you are sure your eye sight is flawless. Warning signs caught early enough can be met with an injection into the eyes that keeps hemorrhages and retinal detachment from developing. Better safe than sorry, just in case.
Okay, background first: type 1 diabetic here. Tirz was my starting point 8 months ago, & May is when I switched over to Reta. Floaters turned up in my right eye back in March. I had it checked out & the eye specialist confirmed diabetic retinopathy, which is all new territory for me. 25 years or so of being diabetic, and it was pretty poorly controlled right up until 2 years ago, when a pump & CGM system finally came my way. Since then, A1C went from a 13 to a nice 6.7 as of literally today's endo appointment. To be upfront - Yes, GLP-1's carry a chance of causing vitreous hemorrhages & retinal detachment. No - I am not claiming that is definitely what is behind the vitreous hemorrhage I have right now. What I am saying is that the possibility is a big one. My endo's instruction today was to absolutely not stop my GLP (as far as she knows I'm still on zepbound, and mentioning Reta to her strikes me as a bad idea for obvious reasons, this may be a mistake but it's all on me at the end of the day), and her view is that GLP's did not cause the eye issue, because my A1C came down gradually across a longer period, & because GLP's generally trigger eye trouble when there is a huge, rapid A1C drop.
I'm of two minds, because GLP's have improved my life in so many ways. 80 pounds are gone: in October 2025 I was 272 lbs. and I'm currently 190 lbs. today. My A1C is 6.7 against a goal of 6.4. Eating habits are perfect, energy is better, confidence is coming back. Then the eye thing lands and puts a spanner in the progress. Mentally I am fine, and the vision in the affected eye has actually improved since last Wednesday when it occured. Days 1 and 2 I couldnt see anything, but faces are visible again now, which I test by having people hold fingers up to see if I'm able to see & guess correctly & I'm able to now. Next Thursday is surgery: they're going to remove the blood & laser the vessels so they don't bleed again. 0.03% chance I lose my vision in that eye permanently, so I'm confident everything will be okay.
Following my endo's advice, I've made the choice to carry on with my Reta. A second opinion is something I do want to get this week though.
Anyone else here who is type 1 and using tirz or reta: PLEASE book an eye doctor appointment, even if you are sure your eye sight is flawless. Warning signs caught early enough can be met with an injection into the eyes that keeps hemorrhages and retinal detachment from developing. Better safe than sorry, just in case.
