Changes in Vision During Pregnancy
No, I’m not talking about how you envision your future with a new baby. That’s for another blog! I mean your eyes may actually change during your pregnancy. If you’re reading this article, you know that hormones can wreak havoc on everything from you ankles on up to your complexion. And hormones can change your eyes as well. Just like fluid retention in your fingers and ankles, your eyes may retain more water during pregnancy. An increase in fluid in your eyes can actually increase your nearsightedness temporarily. Your prescription should go back to the way it was before you became pregnant once you deliver or finish nursing. Most women who notice the changes in their vision don’t find they need to get a new prescription, but that is a possibility if the changes you notice are pronounced. But chances are you’ll have to switch back to your prior prescription after pregnancy. Remember persistent blurry vision can be a sign of gestational diabetes or preeclampsia, so report any changes in your vision to your OB.
In addition, some women find wearing contacts uncomfortable during pregnancy. Because of the fluid retention, the curvature of your eye may be different so the contacts may no longer fit properly. Hormones can also cause dry eyes which make wearing contacts difficult. If lubricating eye drops don’t provide enough relief, you may want to decrease how long you wear your contacts or just wear glasses for the duration of your pregnancy.
Because of all of these changes in vision that may occur during pregnancy, you should not have laser vision correction like LASIK performed while you are pregnant because the measurements taken during pregnancy are not a true representation of your actual visual needs. In fact, many doctors suggest waiting 3 months after you finish nursing before having the measurements taken for your LASIK surgery to give your hormones time to settle down.
