Question: I’m in my fifth month of pregnancy and my eyesight seems to be getting worse. And my contacts don’t fit quite right anymore. Am I just imagining this?
Answer: No, it’s common that the hormones involved in a pregnancy cause many of your body parts (including your eyes) to change. Your vision may seem less sharp, and hard contact lenses may no longer feel as comfortable. The cause of this may be that your body keeps more fluid during pregnancy, which changes the curvature of your eye and the shape of your cornea. Your hormones may also bring about a decrease in the production of tears, making your eyes dryer; more irritated, and cause discomfort.
After you deliver your baby, your vision should return to normal. If being fitted for new hard contact lenses during your pregnancy is going to be too expensive, you might consider switching to glasses or soft contacts. Laser eye surgery isn’t recommended during pregnancy (and for six months afterward), because it may over-correct your vision and take longer to heal.
Though a small amount of worsening in your vision isn’t unusual, look out for these symptoms that may signal a problem: dimming vision, blurring, double vision, or seeing spots or floaters. If your double vision doesn’t pass within two or three hours, call your eye doctor. If you’re seeing spots after standing for awhile or after getting up suddenly, don’t worry; this is fairly common.