Morning sickness, swollen feet, food cravings, fatigue. Well-known and recognised changes that expectant women experience during pregnancy. Did you know that your vision could also be affected too?
Many women report of having blurry vision during pregnancy, usually in the second or third trimesters. This vision change is mostly due to the fluctuation in hormonal changes and most issues are usually minor and temporary returning to normal after your baby is born.
Here are some of the vision changes expectant mums may experience:
Dry Eyes
You may find that your eyes are drier than normal.
Signs: Your eyes may feel itchy or scratchy. This can make your contact lenses irritating.
What to do: Use eye drops to ease dryness. If you wear contact lenses ensure the drops can be used with your type of contact lens.
Blurred vision
A common side effect to pregnant women retaining fluids.
Signs: Vision is blurred or distorted due to the retaining fluids affecting the thickness and shape of your cornea.
What to do: These changes usually are temporary and go away after birth, however you may need to change your prescription if you wear glasses.
Preeclampsia
Potentially serious condition that can cause hypertension (high blood pressure).
Signs: Often no symptoms but temporary loss of vision, light sensitivity, distorted vision or flashing lights or spots in your vision could indicate preeclampsia has accelerated.
What to do: Call your GP immediately or go to A&E.
Gestational Diabetes
Temporary form of diabetes that occurs when blood sugar levels are too high in pregnancy.
Signs: Can cause blurred vision.
What to do: Mention this to your midwife or GP who will be able to monitor you and advise how to keep your blood sugar levels lower.
If you are concerned about your eyesight during your pregnancy, it is always worth mentioning any vision changes to your GP and also to book an eye examination with your Optometrist to make sure there are no underlying problems, particularly if it’s been a while since the last time we saw you.
Regards
The Gordon Turner Optometrists Team