PREGNANCY AND YOUR VISION

Pregnancy is an exciting time in women's lives which brings an increase in hormones and changes to their bodies. I personally know what these changes do to our bodies and these changes are not always exciting! Some of them are downright miserable! While most women can expect changes to their waistline and complexion, they are not always aware of the changes that can occur to their vision during pregnancy. In most cases, these are temporary eye changes that will return to normal after delivery.

Refractive shifts are probably the most common vision changes that occur in pregnancy. Changes in hormone levels can thicken the cornea which can alter the strength needed in your eyeglasses or contact lens prescription. Most of these changes are nothing to worry about, and the changes may or may not reverse themselves after delivery.

Dry eyes is another common condition that occurs with pregnancy. This too is usually temporary and subsides after delivery. It is perfectly safe to use lubricating and rewetting drops to lessen the discomfort of dry eyes. Also, If you are a contact lens wearer, these dry eye changes can make wearing contacts more difficult.

You may notice more puffiness around your eyes. This too is a change that pregnancy hormones and water retention can cause. It not only can make you look tired, it could interfere with your peripheral vision. It is important to drink plenty of fluids and stick to a diet low in sodium and caffeine.

Migraine headaches are a very common result of hormonal changes. Painful migraines may cause our eyes to be more light sensitive, and light in itself can sometimes be a trigger for the painful migraines. Sunglasses while outside can help to reduce the onset of these painful migraines.

Other possible eye changes that can occur during pregnancy include distorted vision secondary to fluid build-up in the eye or changes to side vision or visual perception due to a hormone secreting tumor. There is an increased risk of diabetes during pregnancy. Blurry vision can be a symptom of elevated glucose levels and a more serious condition called diabetic retinopathy that can lead to blindness. All pregnant women who have been diagnosed with diabetes should get a dilated eye exam!

Some women may not only experience blurry vision but also spots in front of their eyes while pregnant. These changes may be as a result of high blood pressure. If elevated blood pressure reaches excessive levels, more serious conditions known as preeclampsia and eclampsia can occur which can cause retinal detachments!

I have discussed several eye changes that can occur during pregnancy, but it is also important to understand vision disorders that can occur to our unknown babies as a result of cigarette smoking, alcohol, and drug use. These exposures can cause an increased risk of amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eye), and significant refractive errors in our children.

Pregnancy brings about significant changes to our bodies and eyes! Some changes we embrace as pregnant women and some we don't! But we need to pay attention to these changes because they can be signs of more serious conditions. Just because you are expecting a baby doesn't mean you need to put off having your eyes evaluated. In fact, it is more important than ever to have a through eye-health examination!

Sarah Burns, O.D.