Here are five things we are never told about how pregnancy affects the mother’s eyes…

1. Your glasses didn’t change, your eyes did.

Pregnancy changes a lot of things: metabolism, appetite, and blood circulation. It can also change the thickness and curvature of your cornea (front of the eye), which can make your vision (temporarily) blurry. Even if you wear prescription glasses. Don’t worry, your eyesight will come back to where it was after the delivery.

2. You may cry more often, but your eyes are drier.

Pregnancy hormones can change the quality of your tears. If the delicate balance of oils and water in your tears is disrupted, your tears evaporate quicker on your eye, leaving them gritty and dry. Pregnancy dry eyes can continue for months after delivery. Luckily, there are a range of safe eye drops to treat the problem.

3. Your eyes can provide doctors important warning signs of serious conditions.

An increase of floaters or spots in your vision during pregnancy is very serious. It could be a symptom of pre-eclampsia (dangerously high blood pressure). If you experience these vision problems, please contact your healthcare provider or a hospital immediately.

4. If you have glaucoma, it could get better.

When it comes to glaucoma and pregnancy, eye pressure tends to decrease, which alleviates intraocular pressure (IOP).  Unfortunately, it’s only temporary.

5. Most of the changes go away.

The majority of changes that occur in your eyes are temporary and can be handled by us or a general practitioner.

Most of the unwanted symptoms of pregnancy, including in the eyes, will gradually disappear following delivery, allowing you to focus on your baby’s growth and development.

If you're pregnant and would like to discuss your eye health make an appointment to see one of our optometrists.