Blurry vision is a condition in which pregnant women lose their ability to see clearly. This affects only a few women during their pregnancy. Blurry vision begins to affect mostly in the second half of pregnancy, gets more severe as you reach full term and gradually improves after delivering.
Some women may not notice this until their late pregnancy stage and others may notice this in their early pregnancy days. The degree of reduction in vision may vary from person to person. In most cases, it resolves after the birth of your baby and your body slowly gets back to normal.
What causes blurry vision during pregnancy?
Hormones
Hormones are responsible for causing a number of changes during the course of nine months in pregnant women. The changes occurring in the hormones are said to affect your eyes as well. The rising levels of estrogen hormone, lead to retention of fluids in the eyes. This changes the thickness of cornea, resulting in reduced or blurry vision.
Reduced tear production
The increased changes in hormones leads to a decrease in the production of tears. This causes a condition known as dry eye syndrome, which in turn leads to diminished eye vision. Dry eyes can feel very itchy and uncomfortable. If it is too severe, you may use lubricating eye drops that are safe on the advice of your doctor.
Low immunity
Your body is working extra hard to nourish your growing baby. Since the priority of your body’s requirements have changed, your immune system is compromised. And so, you can observe that many parts are being affected by this. Your eyes may become too sensitive or weak.
Reduced field vision
If you have pre-existing near-sightedness or far-sightedness, your condition may get more severe. You may also experience a decrease in peripheral vision in your pregnancy.
Temporary blurriness
Pregnant women often notice that when they change their position from reclining to upright too fast, they experience blurred vision. This is because, most of the blood is concentrated in the womb and so, less amount of blood reaches the brain, making things blurry. You may also feel dizzy for a short while.
Gestational Diabetes
If women are affected by diabetes during pregnancy, they may notice changes in their vision. This happens due to the build-up of glucose in the eye lens and may change the cornea, leading to reduced vision. Know more about gestational diabetes complications here.
Preeclampsia
This is a condition which causes swelling of hands and feet and blurry vision. This is often characterised by the presence of high blood pressure during pregnancy and may be accompanied by severe headache. This is a serious condition which needs immediate treatment.
