CATEGORY: Health
Pregnancy can change your vision
Physical and hormonal changes related to pregnancy can affect your eyes and vision. These changes are usually temporary but should still be monitored.
Many pregnancy-related changes are well known: water retention, body tenderness, morning sickness, etc.
However, few women are aware of the effects of pregnancy on vision.
Hormonal and physical transformations can lead to several symptoms to watch out for.
Dry eye
Water retention often leads to swollen feet, fingers and ankles.
This phenomenon can also occur at the level of the cornea which can then thicken. This increases the sensitivity of the eyes. In addition, in some women, hormonal fluctuations can reduce the natural production of tears which can lead to a feeling of discomfort, itchy or itchy eyes.
Thus, some women who usually wear contact lenses no longer support them during pregnancy.
Dry eye requires treatment to ease the discomfort, from eye drops, gels, ointments or warm compresses. If left untreated, these symptoms can cause harm and lead to tissue damage and scarring that can impair vision.
This dry eye is usually temporary and disappears about eight weeks after delivery. In some cases, this becomes a permanent condition that requires treatment recommended by an optometrist.
Blurred vision
Water retention in the corneas as well as hormones can cause changes in vision around the third trimester of pregnancy. These changes are common and mild. Vision may change on a regular basis or differ from day to day.
Nothing to worry about, it usually returns to normal a few weeks after giving birth or breastfeeding. Vision changes may persist after this period.
Optometrists recommend waiting 6 to 9 months after childbirth for the eyes to be adjusted and for an eye exam to be done, which will lead to a new prescription for glasses if necessary. Similarly, it is advisable to wait at least 6 months after childbirth before laser surgery.
Diabetes and gestational diabetes
Diabetic women or women with gestational diabetes are subject to more significant vision problems which tend to increase during pregnancy. If left untreated, these problems can cause permanent damage to blood vessels in the eyes.
It is therefore important to monitor the following symptoms:
- blurred or fluctuating vision
- double vision
- glare
- floaters
- partial loss of vision
Regardless of the type of diabetes, it is recommended that a diabetic pregnant woman sees her optometrist once a trimester to check the blood vessels in her eyes. Thus treatment can be put in place if necessary to reduce the risk of diabetic retinopathy.
Glaucoma improvement
During pregnancy, there is often an improvement in the condition of women with glaucoma. It is therefore necessary to consult the obstetrician and the optometrist to adapt the treatment for this period.