Pregnancy and childbirth with a visual impairment often evoke emotions. Many mums wonder how the different condition will affect their eyes. Therefore, every pregnant woman with a visual impairment should consult an ophthalmologist.
You're inpregnantand wearingglasses ? You must enter the date of the meeting withophthalmologistin the obligatory examination calendar, with whom you will consult your eyesight condition and how to proceed during pregnancy, and seek advice onchildbirth .
Pregnancy and vision defect - is pregnancy an indication to see an ophthalmologist?
Women without any visual impairment and ophthalmic diseases do not need to worry. Pregnancy should not be a major problem for their eyes. It happens that when a pregnant woman's blood pressure drops, the retina gets a little less blood, and thus also less oxygen. The result may be spots in front of the eyes. Just sit down or lie down and rest, and everything will return to normal. If this happens occasionally, don't worry.
Pregnancy and vision defect - what should you worry about?
When spots appear more often, or the image is blurry or part of the field of view is blocked. Such symptoms may indicate pregnancy poisoning - a dangerous condition for both the baby and the mother. The high pressure that occurs then can damage the retina. Fortunately, this happens very rarely - future mothers take care of themselves, gynecologists react quickly to the deterioration of the he alth of pregnant women. Future mothers who suffer from diabetes and hypertension should be under the care of an ophthalmologist, as both diseases may adversely affect the condition of the eyes. Pregnant women with glaucoma should know that not all eye drops are safe, so they need to see an ophthalmologist.
Are you pregnant with a visual impairment?
Problems most often affect short-sighted future mothers. Usually, during pregnancy and the postpartum period, the connective tissue that makes up the sclera weakens. The pressure in the eye is pushing up the sclera and it can stretch a bit. In myopic patients, this results in an enlargement of the defect. Slight, for example by half a diopter, but sometimes you have to permanently replace the lenses of the minus glasses.
Why are some pregnant women unable to wear contact lenses?
The composition of tears changes due to hormonal changes, and in some cases the secretion of tears is weaker. Eye deprived of adequate hydrationit is more sensitive and less tolerant of a foreign body, which is undoubtedly even the best contact lens. This condition may be further aggravated by the work of the pregnant woman in an air-conditioned room and long stay in front of the computer. Some women do not tolerate contact lenses during pregnancy and must wear glasses. It also happens that such a mild dry eye syndrome occurs after childbirth. However, most often the discomfort wears off after some time. Moisturizing the eye with special drops, or the so-called artificial tears in drops. We recommend those without preservatives. Most often, after childbirth and the postpartum period, the discomfort subsides, but it happens that after pregnancy, the eyes become more sensitive and less moisturized and you have to accept the need to wear glasses.
How do the eyes handle childbirth?
Childbirth is a huge challenge for the body, and during prolonged exercise, the venous pressure increases in the upper part of the body - also in the brain and eyes. The arterial blood continues to flow, and the venous blood does not drain away by pressure. A fairly common consequence of childbirth is subconjunctival ecchymosis - bloody spots on the white conjunctiva. It may not look nice, but it is harmless and passes. It is much less common for petechiae to appear on the retina. It's a bit more serious - usually the blood is absorbed without a trace, but sometimes a trace remains. This can reduce visual acuity. However, in he althy women who don't have eye problems, childbirth is physiological.
And when is natural childbirth inadvisable?
When there is a suspicion that the effort associated with it may harm the eyes. This happens when the retina is very thin or in poor condition. It may become torn and detached, and the consequence is deterioration of eyesight, or even its loss. You can try to "stick" the retina surgically, but it is quite a complicated matter, not always successful. It is commonly believed that the greater myopia, the greater the risk in childbirth. It doesn't have to be true. Indeed, in myopia, the retina is often thinner and more delicate. However, it happens that even with a significant defect - minus seven or minus eight diopters - it is in great condition and there are no contraindications for natural childbirth. It also happens the opposite - that in the case of low myopia in the retina, there are degenerations and natural childbirth is not recommended. So it's not about diopters, but about the fundus of the eye. It can be assessed by an ophthalmologist during the regular examination of the pregnant woman.
However, mums with a visual impairment often prefer to give birth through the imperial …
A visit to an ophthalmologist's office and a matter-of-fact conversation with a specialist should calm you down. For years, there have been discussions aboutindications for caesarean section for ophthalmic reasons. There are undisputed cases - when the risk is high and natural childbirth, we strongly advise against it. However, ophthalmologists go out of their way to be safe than sorry, and even if the risk of vision deterioration is not great, we inform the patients about it. However, in most cases, future mothers wearing negative glasses have no reason to worry, they can successfully give birth by the forces of nature. Pregnant women with a positive defect, i.e. hyperopia or astigmatism, should not be afraid of natural delivery.
ImportantIn the first stage of pregnancy, when the embryo is formed, the expectant mother should avoid infections. Mumps, flu, rubella or taking certain medications may affect the eyesight of a child, for example cause a congenital cataract.
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