Vision Changes During Pregnancy: What’s Normal and What Requires Medical Attention

Pregnancy brings many changes to your body – including ones you might not expect in your vision

Expectant mothers often prepare for morning sickness, weight gain, and other well-known pregnancy symptoms, but many are surprised to discover that their vision can change too. Hormone changes that occur during pregnancy can cause blurry vision, and the hormonal and physical changes that come with pregnancy can also affect your vision. Understanding what’s normal and what requires immediate medical attention is crucial for protecting both your eye health and overall well-being during this special time.

Why Pregnancy Affects Your Vision

The hormonal fluctuations experienced during pregnancy can cause many unexpected changes in your body, including your eyes and vision. During pregnancy, as hormones change, the body produces more fluid to support the developing baby. Excess fluid can also affect the thickness, shape, and sensitivity of your cornea. Many pregnant women experience water retention, which can affect the thickness and shape of your cornea.

A greater amount of blood in the body can cause blood vessels in the retina to leak fluid. That, in turn, causes retinal swelling and your vision to become blurred. Approximately 15% of all pregnant women experience visual fluctuations during their pregnancy.

Common Normal Vision Changes During Pregnancy

Most pregnancy-related vision changes are temporary and resolve after delivery. Here are the most common changes expectant mothers experience:

  • Blurred Vision: Hormonal fluctuations may alter the shape or thickness of the cornea, leading to temporary blurriness
  • Dry Eyes: Hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy might cause natural tear production to decrease, leading to dry eye syndrome in some women. Reduced tear production during pregnancy can cause discomfort, redness, and a gritty sensation
  • Contact Lens Discomfort: During pregnancy, and for as long as you’re breastfeeding, your eyes may become drier and more itchy. This, combined with small changes in the shape and thickness of the cornea, can make wearing contact lenses uncomfortable
  • Prescription Changes: Changes in hormone levels during pregnancy can affect the shape of your eyes, necessitating a new prescription for nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism
  • Puffiness Around Eyes: Puffiness around the eyes is a common symptom during pregnancy, which is caused by water retention and other hormonal changes

When to Seek Immediate Medical Attention

While most vision changes during pregnancy are harmless, certain symptoms can indicate serious conditions that require immediate medical care. Contact your healthcare provider or eye doctor northport immediately if you experience:

  • Sudden Vision Loss: If you lose your eyesight (even if only temporarily), seek medical attention immediately. Vision loss during pregnancy can be a symptom of pre-eclampsia or another serious condition that requires help from a doctor
  • Flashing Lights or Spots: If you are seeing flashing lights and/or spots in your vision, call your doctor. When accompanied by other symptoms such as high blood pressure and significant headaches, these ocular anomalies may be a sign of pre-eclampsia
  • Double Vision: Double vision (diplopia) can also bring double vision, vision loss and missing areas in one’s visual field
  • Severe Headaches with Vision Changes: This combination can indicate preeclampsia
  • Light Sensitivity: Sensitivity to light, common vision changes that can happen in preeclampsia include flashes of light, auras, light sensitivity, blurriness or seeing spots

Understanding Preeclampsia and Vision

Some significant vision changes could be signs of pre-eclampsia, a potentially serious issue that occurs in 5-8% of pregnancies. This disorder is characterized by high blood pressure and often a high amount of protein in the urine. Vision symptoms associated with the condition include temporary vision loss, light sensitivity, blurry vision, and the appearance of flashing lights.

Preeclampsia requires specialized care to protect your health, the fetus and your eyesight. Gestational diabetes and preeclampsia can also affect your vision and, in severe cases, cause blindness.

Managing Vision Changes During Pregnancy

For normal pregnancy-related vision changes, there are several ways to manage symptoms:

  • Dry Eyes: Use preservative-free artificial tears to wet your eyes and ease dryness
  • Contact Lens Issues: Pregnancy may make your eyes more sensitive, and your contact lenses might be uncomfortable. If this happens, you might want to switch to glasses for a while
  • Regular Eye Exams: Even if you haven’t experienced significant vision changes, having a comprehensive eye exam during pregnancy is crucial. Your eye doctor can monitor your eyes’ health and make any necessary adjustments to your vision correction

Professional Eye Care During Pregnancy

It’s important to see your healthcare provider to determine whether blurriness may be due to gestational diabetes or preeclampsia. But it’s essential to know whether it’s a sign of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes or some other medical condition. Most vision changes during pregnancy are temporary and will resolve post-delivery. Still, it’s essential to monitor these changes. Sudden or severe vision changes could indicate underlying health issues.

North Shore Advanced Eye Care, led by Dr. Edward J. Moylan, understands the unique vision challenges faced by expectant mothers. At NSAEC, a distinguished private practice renowned for its cutting-edge technology and personalized approach, Dr. Edward J. Moylan leads a team committed to delivering top-tier primary eye care services tailored to meet each patient’s unique needs and preferences. Dr. Moylan has developed a strong interest in the medical aspects of optometry and practices full scope primary eye care. He has been practicing in the Port Jefferson area for over 25 years and loves the long-term relationships he has developed with his patients over the years.

When Vision Returns to Normal

Most people’s vision returns to normal in the weeks following delivery. Your sight should return to normal after your baby is born. However, blurry vision can also linger postpartum, particularly if pregnancy-related fluid retention has not yet fully subsided. While some women see their vision return to normal within a few months, others may need a new prescription for glasses or contact lenses.

Most eye experts advise against getting LASIK surgery or being fitted for new contacts during pregnancy. Your eyes will go back to normal when your pregnancy is over.

Remember, while vision changes during pregnancy are common, contact your healthcare provider as soon as you notice changes in your vision. It’s important to seek care for any unexpected changes to your vision during pregnancy. Doing so can help protect your long-term eye health. Trust your instincts – if something doesn’t feel right with your vision, don’t hesitate to seek professional medical attention.