Visual Acuity Changes during Pregnancy and Postpartum: A Cross-Sectional Study in Iran

In this research, we represent the changes in visual acuity during pregnancy and after delivery. Changes as myopic shift start during second trimester and will be stopped after delivery; however it is obtained that women will have the same refractive error as what they had in the first trimester, after postpartum. So, any change in their spectacle prescription during this period is forbidden. As a result, not only changing in hormones can cause myopic shift in vision, but also overweight has its retributive role. What we are trying to do is to notify gynecologists and optometrists to be aware of these changes, so as to leave spectacle prescription writing to the session after postpartum period. 1. Introduction Visual acuity disturbances are common complaints in pregnancy suggesting the presence of underlying diseases including diabetes, preeclampsia, or refractive eye disorders [1–3]. However, most cases are just related to physiology of pregnancy and hence do not need serious medical treatment [4]. Physicians should be able to distinguish between the pathologic and normal physiologic changes of visions during pregnancy to avoid unnecessary medication or distressing diagnostic management [5]. Most studies have compared the effects of pregnancy on the outcomes of refractive surgeries [1–5]; however, to the best of our knowledge no single study has addressed the changing pattern of visual acuity in pregnancy and there is no evidence regarding the severity of visual acuity disturbances neither. Our study hence aimed to investigate visual acuity changes in pregnancy and to determine how the vision changes would be following the child birth. This study indeed will answer the long standing question about the pregnant women’s visional disturbances. 2. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in a university clinic of perinatology affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, where pregnant women attended for screening and routine visits between 2010 and 2012. Pregnant women between 20 and 39 years of age were eligible to enter the study if there was no bilateral blindness, absence of accompanied medical conditions, and no history of medications used during pregnancy but the administered supplements. Those with abortion or who were lost to followup were excluded from the study. Research ethics committee of TUMS reviewed and then approved the study protocol and informed consent was obtained from each patient before entering the study. Patients were examined for visual acuity in each trimester and 3 months after delivery by an optometrist