Question
Hi,
I have had a choroidal nevus in my right eye for at least 25 years. That long ago, I was drinking diet coke like it was water, and that's how I became aware of the nevus, because the diet coke was causing the nevus to leak fluid into the layers of the retina and causing a bubble, which was distorting my vision, and that's how I became aware of the nevus in the first place.
How I know the problem with the nevus was caused by diet coke is because I had researched online about the link between aspartame and retinal problems, and to confirm, I cut back to one diet drink a day, and the bubble got smaller daily until it was gone, and I was only left with the blind spot from the nevus. Things were fine for a few years, but for the past couple years the nevus has been spreading a lot.
In an eye exam for glasses recently the doctor said he had never seen one so big, and it's interfering now with my straight on vision, and I can no longer read in that eye due to distortion and spots with no vision.
My concern is that I will become totally blind in that eye, and I wonder if there is anything I can do to slow or reverse the progression. I do drink regular soft drinks with sugar on a regular basis.
Have you ever heard of a link between regular soft drinks and retinal problems. I don't consume any aspartame and haven't for years. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Answer
Thanks for your Question
There isn't any research that shows a direct connection between spreading choroidal nevus and soft drinks, either regular or diet soda.
Some Ophthalmologists found that diet Soda which has artificial sweetener aspartame, can have bad effects on retinal blood vessels and Optic nerve.They found that moderate to severe consumption of aspartame can increase the risk of visual loss,optic nerve swelling, retinal degeneration and retinal detachment.
Unfortunately, there isn't any effective treatment for spreading Choroidal Nevus, but we have to differentiate it from Malignant Melanoma.
One of the differential diagnosis of Choroidal nevus is Choroidal Melanoma. Sometimes Choroidal Nevus can transform to melanoma and there are some factors the can predict this transformation such as: increase in the size and thickness, subretinal fluid formation, formation of orange pigments on the surface of nevus and visual symptoms.
To confirm the diagnosis of Melanoma, imaging of the retinal with Ultrasound, Fluorescein angiography and Final Needle Aspiration Biopsy should be done.
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