Eye health during the pregnancy

Pregnancy is a special period in a woman’s life. Organs adapt to new circumstances and function differently. Eyes are not an exception. Earlier, eye doctors often prescribed cesarean surgery due to poor vision and eye disease, but it is proved scientifically that women are not able to give birth due to eye diseases only in rare cases.

Nowadays, there is no strict requirement to investigate eye condition for all women during pregnancy. However, all pregnant women should visit an ophthalmologist, especially if there are visual impairments such as myopia, as well as eye injuries, illnesses or eye surgery.

One of the most common causes of Caesarean surgery due to vision problems is retinal disease. There is a lot of muscle tension during child delivery, which also puts pressure on the eyes. Great effort and pressure on the retina can affect its condition and cause more damage if you have had any previous retinal disease.

Therefore, regardless of whether a woman wears glasses daily or does not wear them, it would be advisable for every pregnant woman to check the condition of the retina before giving birth. Since the eye and vision test does not pose any risk to the mother or baby, this can be done already during the first trimester of pregnancy. If the eye doctor sees a change in the retina during the visit, the pregnant woman still has enough time till the childbirth to prevent it in time and, most likely, the delivery could be natural. Women with high myopia, characterized by various degenerative processes in the retina and the vascular tract; pregnant women with diabetes, autoimmune diseases, high arterial pressure, toxicosis are in high-risk groups.

If the eye doctor has detected a retinal damage during the visit, retinal laser photocoagulation can be performed to the patient, by which the damaged site is restricted, retinal tissues are fixed.

It is also advisable to check your eyes after giving birth to assess whether there are no perforations in the retina due to childbirth. If the changes in the retina occur before the childbirth, it is recommended to visit the eye doctor as soon as possible to ensure that the retinal damage is not progressing and does not require immediate treatment.

The retina is the inner layer of the eye-ball. It consists of neurons that perceive light irritation allowing us to see. If the retina is perforated, it may begin to detach, resulting in deterioration or even loss of vision.

If the retinal perforation has been diagnosed timely, it can be limited by a laser to prevent retinal detachment. Sudden light flashes, floaters or spots in the field of vision can indicate the retinal perforation. If the detachment has already taken place, the laser can no longer be used – surgical intervention is required. Therefore, it is very important to detect retinal perforation as soon as possible. Retinal detachment occurs in one in 10,000 people. This is a serious eye disease that occurs at any age, in case of young mothers it happens extremely rare. The detached part of the retina cannot function normally, so there is a rapid vision decrease, a “black curtain” feeling. If retinal detachment occurs, surgical treatment is required.

During pregnancy, vision acuity may fluctuate slightly due to hormonal changes. After birth, these complaints usually disappear.

The problem that a woman may face during pregnancy is a pronounced dry eye syndrome that also develops due to hormonal changes. The composition of the tear also changes during pregnancy, so it is usually recommended to use a high-quality Thera tears solution.