© Jeff Hire

Imagine if you found out that your childhood fears were genuine – that monsters lurk inside cupboards, there really is a Boogie Man under your bed and clowns are evil.

That’s what just happened to me. Well, sort of.

From the age of eight, when I became diabetic, the scariest thing about having the condition was the idea of developing Diabetic Retinopathy – the leading cause of blindness in the UK.

I have annual tests to check for this, and this year’s test seemed like any other, until I received a letter telling me they’d found the first signs of, you guessed it, background retinopathy.

The letter mentioned that I didn’t need treatment, which seemed like good news, and then referred me to the enclosed leaflet. Which, unfortunately, hadn’t been enclosed.

Good old NHS. I know resources are stretched, but a bit more information wouldn’t have gone amiss at this point.

I sat on my sofa contemplating a future in which I was likely to go blind at some point. Could I still be a writer without sight?

I don’t like that kind of uncertainty, so after a few sleepless nights emailed my diabetic nurse, Helen, and told her what had happened.

She replied within moments and I immediately felt reassured.

According to Helen, background retinopathy means early changes in the blood vessels feeding the retina at the back of my eyes, and it’s due mainly to the fact that I’ve had Type 1 diabetes for more than 20 years.

She went on to advise me: “The key thing to remember is that does not mean that serious changes in your eyes are inevitable, but it does mean that you need to take good care of things. The changes can progress to a more serious stage but any progression can be prevented or significantly slowed down. Keeping good blood glucose control plays a major part in this. Other factors that help are keeping blood pressure well controlled and avoiding smoking.”

So, basically, I need to keep on doing what I’m doing, and I could be seeing well into old age.

Phew!