Eye pain in late pregnancy

If you experience eye pain in the late stages of pregnancy, you must pay attention. The most common reason is dry eyes. Many pregnant women are prone to dry eye syndrome. At this time, because the eyes secrete less lubricating fluid, it often causes burning, itching and dryness. Especially some pregnant women like to wear contact lenses, which can make this phenomenon more severe. Let us learn more about this aspect.

Eye pain in late pregnancy

During pregnancy, many pregnant women feel that their eyes are dry, which is actually suffering from "dry eye syndrome". Dry eye syndrome occurs when the composition or amount of tears changes, causing them to fail to lubricate the eyes properly. This can cause burning, itching, sensitivity to light, a dry feeling, a sandy sensation in the eye, or excessive tears.

Dry eyes in pregnant women occur during hormonal changes and are quite common during pregnancy. They can also occur while breastfeeding, while taking birth control pills, or after menopause. This occurs when the composition or amount of tears changes, making them unable to lubricate the eyes properly. This can cause burning, itching, sensitivity to light, a dry feeling, a sandy sensation in the eye, or excessive tears.

During pregnancy, dry eyes may seem to occur only occasionally during the day, but for some women it can be severe and painful. If you wear contact lenses, you may find them very uncomfortable and even find it difficult to continue wearing them. If a pregnant woman suffers from dry eyes, it is best to see an ophthalmologist. An eye exam should confirm whether you have any other eye problems, as well as any ulcers or infections in your eye.

What to do if pregnant women have dry and painful eyes

1. It is recommended to say goodbye to contact lenses temporarily

Expectant mothers who wore contact lenses before pregnancy may feel uncomfortable when wearing them again after pregnancy. The reason is that the thickness of the cornea increases during pregnancy, causing the focal length of vision to change, and the original contact lenses are no longer suitable. At the same time, the curvature of the cornea will also change. The contact lenses that matched the curvature of the cornea before pregnancy will no longer match it, and you will naturally feel uncomfortable when wearing them. In addition, eyes are prone to dryness during pregnancy, and the dry feeling will be more obvious when wearing contact lenses. Wearing inappropriate contact lenses can easily cause expectant mothers to suffer from eye fatigue, foreign body sensation, and even corneal damage. It is difficult to solve the problem by re-fitting contact lenses because the cornea of ​​the expectant mother is constantly changing. Therefore, it is best not to wear contact lenses during pregnancy and use frame glasses instead.

Most expectant mothers' eye changes can return to normal after delivery, but a few cannot return to their pre-pregnancy levels. Therefore, expectant mothers who used to wear glasses should have their eyes tested again after their bodies return to normal after delivery, and get new glasses if necessary. Pay attention to eye care. Eyes are very important organs in the human body and need our careful care. For expectant mothers, due to the influence of pregnancy, protecting the eyes becomes even more important.

2. Pay attention to eye hygiene

Expectant mothers who work with computers should keep their eyes more than 50 cm away from the screen; consciously blink more often to moisturize the dry cornea; after watching the computer for an hour, let the eyes rest for a while and look at the scenery in the distance. When reading, there should be sufficient light, but not too strong; try not to read in the bathroom with dim light. Do not read books or newspapers while walking or riding in a car, and do not watch TV series or play games on your mobile phone or tablet. Do eye exercises once in the morning and once in the afternoon every day.

3. Do not use eye drops at will

If you feel discomfort in your eyes and are not pregnant, you can use some eye drops to moisturize the eyes. Expectant mothers must consider the health of their babies and not use medications at will, especially eye drops containing chloramphenicol, because a small amount of chloramphenicol can cause serious bone marrow suppression. Therefore, when expectant mothers feel discomfort in their eyes, it is best to consult a doctor whether they need to take medication and how to use it.

4. Use less makeup around the eyes

The blood circulation of expectant mothers is accelerated, and the possibility of developing styes (i.e. stye) will also increase. Most styes are acute suppurative inflammation of the eyelid caused by staphylococcal infection. If expectant mothers' eyes are frequently exposed to cosmetics, it is easy for the eyelash glands to be blocked, which makes styes more likely to be induced. Once it occurs, treatment and medication will be more troublesome. Therefore, it is recommended that expectant mothers do not wear eye shadow or eyeliner to minimize the chance of developing styes.

If edema or other diseases in the body cause retinal disease, it may even lead to blindness. Expectant mothers should not neglect small details and regret it for the rest of their lives!