Can Pregnancy Affect Your Vision?

When you are carrying a child, there are a lot of things that begin to happen. Of course, at a glance, some things are pretty obvious, like physical changes during pregnancy. However, some others are not. One such example is vision changes during pregnancy.
Please do not be alarmed. It is common to experience vision changes during pregnancy. It is temporary, and your vision will return to normal. But if all of it causes discomfort or persists after you have delivered your baby, then it is a good idea to schedule an appointment with an eye doctor.
Now, you know that vision changes during pregnancy are not abnormal. You are wondering why, and rightfully so. Let’s dive in and take a look at some of the reasons.
Why Does Your Eyesight Change During Pregnancy?
There are several reasons why your eyesight can change during pregnancy. Some of them are the lack of hormonal balance, fluid retention, high blood pressure, etc. We will take a closer look at these and some others.
Lack of hormonal balance
Hormonal changes are bound to happen during pregnancy because they are necessary for keeping and maintaining the pregnancy. Rising and falling hormone levels could affect fluid retention in the body generally.
How does this affect your eyes? Fluid retention could cause several things, like swollen eyes and dry eyes. Read on to learn more about this.
Fluid retention
This is also known as edema or water retention. It is a condition where the body cannot maintain its fluid levels. Pregnant women are likely to go through this in their third trimester. An effect of this is swollen eyes. Due to pressure from the imbalance of fluids, you can be left with puffy eyelids, leaving your eyes excessively watery. It exits after giving birth, though. However, reducing your salt intake, getting enough sleep, and using an ice pack on your eyes could do the trick. Aside from getting swollen, you could also have dry eyes.
Dry eyes
As mentioned earlier, hormonal changes are at play. These changes in hormone levels would cause the eyes to produce fewer tears than they usually would. At this point, you have irritated eyes. Blinking might cause discomfort because of a sandpaper-like feeling that you get. Dry eyes could also cause you to have blurred vision.
If you have dry eyes as a pregnant woman, use artificial tears to help lubricate your eyes and eliminate the dryness. Artificial tears are ointments and eye drops that help lubricate dry eyes.
Read more about dry eye syndrom
Diabetes
During pregnancy, if your blood sugar level is high, it will affect the blood supply to your retina. As a pregnant woman, you should know that there is a temporary type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy. It is called gestational diabetes. This could cause a condition in your eyes called diabetic retinopathy. This affects the light sensitivity of the eyes, thereby affecting your vision.
If you had diabetes before pregnancy, keep caring for yourself as you would; watch your blood sugar level. If you find that you have gestational diabetes before your baby is born, please monitor your blood sugar level.
High blood pressure
While many vision changes in pregnant women may not be a sign of danger for the mother and her child, a surge in blood pressure calls for immediate attention. There is a condition called preeclampsia. It happens because of high blood pressure in a pregnant woman and signals danger to other organs in the body. Some of its symptoms are flashing lights, blurry vision, and double vision.
If you have any of the symptoms of preeclampsia, see your doctor.
We have established that the changes that come with pregnancy are bound to take a toll on you and can even affect your vision. So you may want to ask, “Can you wear contacts while pregnant?” Good question. Let’s get to it.
Wearing contacts during pregnancy
Can you wear contact lenses during pregnancy? The simple answer is Yes. It is perfectly safe. However, you should know more about vision, pregnant women, and contact lenses.
Pregnancy and contact lenses
During pregnancy, the results from eye tests may not be as accurate because of the changes in hormonal imbalance. So, if your eye doctor prescribed contact lenses for you before pregnancy, you could keep using the prescription, except they affect your vision negatively.
Contact lens wearers should avoid wearing contacts for too long a time. That could be the reason for your dry eyes. Taking them off at intervals would help.
A quick note: if you have a glasses prescription, changing your prescription may not be the best idea because most vision changes will revert and change substantially after giving birth.
Getting Regular Eye Care While Pregnant
Your body will have a lot of imbalance during pregnancy. Schedule regular appointments with your doctor. Their prescriptions will help.
Why your eyes can change during pregnancy
Firstly, it is normal. Also, it is primarily due to hormonal imbalance and fluid circulation.
How can you make wearing contact lenses during pregnancy as comfortable as possible?
Pregnancy should not stop you from enjoying comfort in your eyes. To maintain your comfort or alleviate discomfort, here are four essential things to do:
- Use eye drops to lubricate your eyes when they feel dry.
- Do not sleep with your contact lenses on.
- When your contacts expire, get a new pair.
- Visit your eye doctor regularly
See also: Can Sleeping With Contacts On Hurt Your Eyes?
What Are Normal Vision Changes During Pregnancy?
Regular vision changes that occur during pregnancy are:
- dry eyes
- puffy eyelids
- blurry vision
What Conditions Cause Vision Changes That Are a Concern?
As mentioned earlier, if you notice these conditions, see a doctor immediately:
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Persistent blurry vision
- Eye infection
How to Take Care of Your Eyes During Pregnancy
- Here are some things to do:
- Be aware of your body’s changes
- Schedule regular visits to your doctor
- if you use contacts or glasses, stick with the prescription.
- Use eye drops when they are dry.
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