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Apr
April 7th is World Health Day, a World Health Organisation (WHO) advocacy day that each year draws attention to a specific health topic of concern to people all over the world.
For 2025 the theme is ‘Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures’ focusing on the health of mothers and babies. It is our goal here to spread awareness of maintaining healthy eyesight during pregnancy and giving children the best start in life with their eyesight.
Pregnancy and Your Vision
Pregnancy brings an increase in hormones that may cause changes in vision. In most cases, these are temporary eye conditions that will return to normal after delivery.
As an expectant mother you should be aware of vision changes during pregnancy and know what symptoms indicate a serious problem.
If you suffer from any pre-existing conditions like glaucoma, high blood pressure, or diabetes, it’s important that you tell your optometrist you’re pregnant. Your optometrist will want to monitor your eyes closely for changes during this time.
Refractive Changes
During pregnancy, changes in hormone levels can alter the strength you need in your glasses or contact lenses. Though usually nothing to worry about, it’s a good idea to discuss any vision changes with your optometrist who can help you to decide whether or not to change your prescription. You may be told to wait a few weeks after giving birth before making a change in your prescription.
Dry Eyes
Some women experience dry eyes during pregnancy. This is usually temporary and goes away after giving birth. Thankfully, lubricating eye drops are perfectly safe to use whilst you are pregnant or nursing.
Wearing Contact Lenses
Contact lenses, contact lens solutions, and enzymatic cleaners are all safe to use whilst you are pregnant. To reduce irritation cause by a combination of dry eyes and contact lenses, try cleaning your contacts more often. If dry, irritated eyes make wearing contacts too uncomfortable, don’t worry – your eyes will return to normal within a few weeks post birth.
Puffy Eyelids
Puffiness around the eyes is another common side effect of certain hormonal changes women may have whilst pregnant. Puffy eyelids can interfere with your vision from the sides. Remember to keep drinking plenty of water and stick to a well balanced diet, low in sodium and caffeine.
Migraines
Migraines linked to hormonal changes are very common among pregnant women. In some cases, migraines make eyes feel more sensitive to light.
If you are pregnant and suffering from migraines, talk to your doctor before taking any prescription or non-prescription migraine medication.
Diabetes
Women who are diabetic before their pregnancy and those who develop gestational diabetes need to watch their vision closely.
Blurred vision in such cases may indicate elevated blood sugar levels.
You can read more about the effects of diabetes on the eye in our blog about Diabetic Retinopathy.
High Blood Pressure
In some cases, a woman might have blurry vision or spots in front of her eyes whilst pregnant. These symptoms can be caused by an increase in blood pressure during pregnancy.
Glaucoma
Women being treated for glaucoma should tell their hospital consultant right away if they are pregnant or intend to become pregnant.
While many glaucoma medications are safe to take during pregnancy, certain medications such as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors can be harmful to the developing baby.
Vision Development in Newborns
A baby’s vision goes through many changes during their first year of life. At birth an infant is very sensitive to bright light. Their pupils are very small, limiting how much light enters their eyes. A newborn baby can see something next to them with their peripheral vision, but their central vision is still developing.
Within a couple of weeks, their retinas will begin to develop, and their pupils will widen. At around 1 month old, a baby might begin to focus on its mother but will likely prefer brightly coloured objects.
For their first two months, babies’ eyes often do not work together well. A baby’s eyes will often appear to be crossed or wandering out to the sides. In most cases, this is normal, and they will eventually correct themselves. However, if one of their eye’s constantly turns inwards or outwards it is time to schedule them with a orthoptist.
At around 2 months old, a baby will usually be able to follow a moving object with their eyes as their visual coordination improves.
Eye or vision problems can delay a baby’s development. It is important to identify any problems as soon as possible to get them the help they need to grow and learn properly. Ensure infants are taken to eye screenings as recommended and take part in age appropriate activities with children to help develop their vision.