It’s Mother’s Day, a time to celebrate the most important women in our lives – our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, wives, aunts – that have helped shape us into who we are. If you are a mother reading this, you need to be celebrated, not just today but always! It’s a hard job yet it is so rewarding at the same time. As a mother myself, I am even more appreciative of these women and understand truly how important our role is in our children’s lives. We go through so many changes to become a mother from pregnancy to motherhood – physically, mentally, and believe it or not even our eyes go through some temporary and permanent changes during pregnancy.
Some ocular issues women may go through during pregnancy include blurred vision, dry eyes, drooping of one eyelid, and increase in pigmentation around the eyes. Some slightly more serious changes women could notice during pregnancy are conditions affecting the retina like central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR), and diabetic retinopathy. CSCR can cause blood to leak into the macular or central area of the retina causing reduced vision, which can resolve after delivery. Diabetic retinopathy and macular swelling can worsen in diabetic pregnant patients. Preeclampsia and eclampsia, which are conditions that can occur during pregnancy that cause high blood pressure, can also affect our eyes, causing symptoms like blurred or decreased vision, double vision and/or visual distortions.
These are just some of the ocular changes that women could go through during pregnancy along with many other hormonal and physical changes during the 9 months and beyond. if you are pregnant and experiencing any of these symptoms, remember most of them may be temporary and will resolve after delivery, but it is always important to get your eyes checked with any changes that do occur.
This mother’s day, do something personal and meaningful to show your mother and the other important women in your lives how thankful you are for them. I am proud to be mother to my two lovely sons, Arjun and Avraj, and would be willing to go through all the difficulties and changes that come with pregnancy and motherhood over and over again for them. Hope you all have a wonderful mother’s day!
Resources:
1) https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/pregnancy-and-vision
3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5082244/