Because a woman’s body goes through many big changes during pregnancy, the eyes are not immune from any of this.
Some women may experience poor eyesight throughout their pregnancy. During a woman’s pregnancy, it is not uncommon for her glasses prescription to change in such a way that she needs different prescriptions for seeing both far (driving) and near (reading computer). After the baby has been born and she has healed, it is still recommended that she keep wearing the same glasses prescription so as to avoid more side effects of having vision problems.
Prescription changes for people wearing contact lenses can cause more serious issues, such as eye irritation, when combined with pregnancy. Hormones may cause the cornea of your eyes to swell slightly, reducing tear production and drying out your contacts. Artificial tears can help relieve symptoms by rehydrating your eyes, but you should always consult a medical professional whenever you experience any significant changes in vision or discomfort.
When using contact lenses, it’s important to have good hygiene habits. For example, touching your eyes a lot or wearing them too often will increase the risk of eye infections. While pregnant many antibacterial drugs aren’t considered safe, which can make handling any potential eye infection even harder to treat. Keeping up with preventive medicine is always a smart decision—it ensures that you won’t get an infection in the first place!
Changes in the body like those that occur during pregnancy can affect an individual’s sight especially if they have preexisting health conditions. Pregnant women who have high blood pressure or diabetes present a higher risk of developing eye problems than pregnant women with gestational diabetes because their blood vessels are more vulnerable to damage, leading to abnormal bleeding (retinal detachment) which could lead to vision impairment and blindness. One way to prevent these unwanted side effects is to make sure one keeps up with regular checkups and follows his/her medical team’s recommendations closely so as not consume too much junk or elevate his/her blood sugar through insulin injections without talking it over first with one’s medical provider. But if you do experience blurry vision during your pregnancy, you should get it checked out right away by a professional to rule out any potential causes.
If you have concerns regarding your vision or have any questions about eye health, make sure you visit an ophthalmologist.
