Eyes May be Affected During Pregnancy

Yeditepe University Ophthalmology Research and Application Center states that there may be physiological changes in the eyes during pregnancy.

• Is the eye affected during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, physiological changes occur in the eyes as well as in the whole body.

• What changes can occur in the eye during pregnancy?

Increased pigmentation of the skin, called the mask of pregnancy, may develop around the eyes and cheekbones. There may be temporary changes in glasses and contact lens numbers during pregnancy. Contact lens use can be difficult. For this reason, it should not be rushed to change the number of glasses or contact lenses in the preliminary period of pregnancy and puerperium.

In addition to physiological changes, pathological conditions may occur in the eyes. Preeclampsia occurs in the presence of hypertension (increased blood pressure) and protein loss in the urine during pregnancy. Eclampsia occurs when seizures develop in a pregnant person in addition to preeclampsia. Ocular findings are detected in approximately one-third of preeclampsia cases. Some cases can be diagnosed only by visual complaints. In the presence of preeclampsia and eclampsia, blurred vision and decreased vision often occur, and besides these complaints, light discomfort, double vision, and visual field loss can also be detected. In preeclampsia and eclampsia, hemorrhages in the retinal layer of the fundus and edema in the optic nerve can be detected due to developing hypertension. Fundus findings vary according to the severity of the picture and gradually regress after blood pressure returns to normal.

In pregnancy, there may be a tendency to vascular occlusion in the whole body, as well as occlusions in the eye veins. Due to vascular occlusions in the retina, sudden vision loss or blurring in the patient may be accompanied by diffuse hemorrhages and edema in the fundus on examination. In addition, existing chronic diseases may exhibit a different course during pregnancy.

• How do chronic diseases affect the eye during pregnancy?

In people who already had diabetes before pregnancy, if there is no eye involvement related to diabetes, that is, diabetic retinopathy, there is an approximate risk of developing initial diabetic retinopathy during pregnancy. In pregnant women with moderate and advanced diabetic retinopathy, the present fundus involvement may progress at the P rate. For this reason, diabetic patients should have received the necessary eye treatment before pregnancy and should be under regular follow-up during pregnancy. In diabetes, that is, gestational diabetes, detected during pregnancy, fundus involvement, that is, diabetic retinopathy, does not develop frequently.

Especially the use of eye pressure drops and some antibiotic drops during pregnancy and breastfeeding is very inconvenient. For this reason, people who regularly receive eye drop treatment due to an existing eye disease should be evaluated by an ophthalmologist during pregnancy and breastfeeding and it was ensured that they use the appropriate medication.