The course of pregnancy is influenced by many different factors, including health problems and deviations that the patient had before the baby began to bear. Some of them have a direct relationship with pregnancy, others are associated with such a special condition only indirectly. These include myopia, that is, myopia. If you have vision problems, you need to figure out how this can affect the health of the expectant mother and the course of the birth process.
Myopia: what is this disease
Almost every third inhabitant of the planet suffers from myopia, so the disease is very common. More generally, this medical term is known as "myopia." That is, a person sees objects located close to him well, but he does not distinguish between those located at a certain distance. As a rule, myopia begins to develop in 7-15 years, after which it is aggravated, or visual acuity remains at approximately the same level.
There are several degrees of severity of myopia. Most often, people have a weak one. In this case, visual deviations are manifested only to a small extent. Violation does not exceed three diopters. This is not even a disease, but a feature of vision. Usually weak myopia does not require correction and can be completely eliminated with the help of special exercises aimed at strengthening the muscles of the eye.
Middle myopia involves visual impairment ranging from three to six diopters. Signs of the disease are detected at the preventive examination of the optometrist. This may be a narrowing of the blood vessels of the fiber or changes in the fundus. In severe cases, the violation exceeds six diopters. A person can see only those objects that are in close proximity. Such a disease needs constant correction.
Causes of myopia
Myopia is provoked by various reasons, so each case must be considered separately. The most common cause is heredity. If both parents suffer from myopia, then it is likely that the disease will manifest itself in the child. With normal vision in both parents, the risk of myopia in a child is only 8%.
Incorrect vision correction can also cause a decrease in its severity. If the first manifestations of myopia have already made themselves felt, but the disease has not been treated or the wrong contact lenses or glasses have been selected, then vision may continue to deteriorate. In this case, the eyes are very tense and myopia develops.
Often the disease appears with prolonged eye strain. Overvoltage is caused by work in low light, improper landing when reading and writing, too much time at the computer or in front of the TV. Many of these problems are triggered by the beginning of school life, so myopia generally coincides with the time the child began schooling.
Main symptoms
Almost the only symptom is a general deterioration in visual acuity. A person sees well objects in the vicinity, but with difficulty distinguishes what is located further. Due to overstrain, frequent headaches, inability to concentrate, impaired attention and memory, distraction, increased arterial or intracranial pressure, nervousness and so on can be added to this symptom. With the correct correction, all side symptoms usually disappear.
Pathology diagnostics
Myopia is usually detected during a routine examination by an ophthalmologist. A vision test is performed according to the table, an examination of the condition of the fundus, measurements of the length of the eye, the thickness of the cornea at different points. At the first signs of visual impairment, it is necessary to consult an ophthalmologist as soon as possible in order to exclude the myopia of the progressive type and select the optimal correction.
Myopia correction
Weak myopia can be eliminated without the need for correction. The patient may be offered a laser correction that is safe and effective. This procedure can be carried out even during pregnancy. With weak myopia, perhaps the situation will be limited to the selection of appropriate contact lenses or glasses.
Possible complications
Mild myopia during pregnancy is fraught with deterioration of the state of the retina, changes in the curvature of the lens and detachment of the retina during childbirth. The latter can lead to hemorrhage in the vitreous body, and as a result - partial or complete loss of vision. But all the complications listed above are characteristic of severe forms of myopia. With weak myopia of the eyes during pregnancy, you do not need to worry, although it will not be superfluous to play it safe and put your eyes in order.
Risks for pregnant women
Pregnancy, which takes place without complications, does not affect visual acuity. But it is worth considering that there are pathologies that can have a negative effect on myopia of the first degree during pregnancy and the condition of a woman in the process of bearing a child. With serious toxicosis in the early stages, visual acuity may temporarily decrease by one or two diopters. Swelling in combination with high blood pressure and in the presence of protein in urine tests are fraught with pathological changes.
A woman will be recommended to visit an ophthalmologist at least twice during pregnancy: when registering and at a later date. With complications, the observation of the dynamics of the development of myopia in a future mother is shown.
Visual impairment during pregnancy
Myopia of moderate degree during pregnancy can develop from a weak one due to natural changes occurring in the body of the expectant mother. The heart and blood vessels of a pregnant woman experience a special load during this important period. The process is physiologically reversible. Changes are associated with an increase in the intensity of metabolic processes, blood volume, increased heart rate and pressure due to the formation of fetal blood flow.
Weak (grade I) myopia during pregnancy is complicated by a decrease in eye hemodynamics and an increase in intraocular pressure. The eye receives less nutrition. Significant changes occur both during normal pregnancy and in case of complications. Doctors divide the changes into functional and organic. Functional flow without retinal pathologies, and organic associated with a change in the fundus. It can be edema and retinal detachment, retinal artery occlusion, hemorrhage.
Influence on the health of the child
Prevention of visual impairment begins with the clarification of heredity, conditions of pregnancy and childbirth, the formation of the fetus in the prenatal period. Myopia in most cases is caused by a hereditary predisposition. For the successful prevention of ophthalmic disorders in a child, it is necessary to determine the disease in parents and in their families on time. Further actions should be aimed at minimizing the risks for the unborn child.
It is important for a pregnant woman to monitor her health, take vitamins for expectant mothers and the medications prescribed by the doctor, and take daily walks in the fresh air. Women who do not have vision problems also need an ophthalmologist's consultation in the initial stages of pregnancy, as well as before childbirth.
The laying of the baby's vision occurs from the second month of pregnancy. The main stage of prevention is the creation of the right conditions for building the eye structure of the fetus. This implies the absence of stress factors in the first six weeks of pregnancy. Severe malformations can provoke bad habits of the expectant mother, taking certain medications, trauma, illness or overheating in the first trimester.
Until the fourth or fifth month of pregnancy, vital organs and structures are formed, including the visual system. At this time, it is also necessary to exclude harmful factors.
Choosing a birth method
Myopia during pregnancy is an indication for CS only in severe cases. As a rule, a woman can give birth on her own. If the nearsightedness of the expectant mother is within three diopters, then there is no reason for concern. The same can be said about average myopia of the eyes during pregnancy (stage II disease). The situation changes slightly with a severe course of pathology or the presence of complications during pregnancy.
With severe myopia, the decision on the possibility of a natural birth should be taken jointly by a gynecologist and an ophthalmologist. In the absence or minimum degree of pathological changes in the retina (dystrophy), a woman can give birth on her own. But usually this is done by shortening the attempts by cutting the perineum.
A high degree of pregnancy and myopia with retinal dystrophy is a dangerous combination. In such a situation, the question and methodology of birth management is taken on the basis of the recommendations of the ophthalmologist, the size of the pelvis of a woman, the estimated weight of the child and other components. Perhaps a planned cesarean section.
The absolute indication for surgical intervention is retinal detachment, which was detected and operated on for 30–40 weeks, or previously detached detachment. But even in this case, the expectant mother does not need to panic, but just enough to listen to the doctors and their advice.
Delivery Technique
Mild myopia during pregnancy is not a contraindication to childbirth in a natural way, but it is important to prepare for this process so that everything goes without complications, including vision. Doctors should instruct a woman in advance about the rules of conduct during childbirth. The main thing during natural childbirth is to push hard. No need to strain your face and close your eyes, all efforts should go in the crotch. Only the muscles of the pelvic floor and abdomen should help the baby to be born. If you strain the muscles of the face, then there will be no help to the baby, but the intraocular pressure will increase, because of which the vessels may burst. With mild myopia in pregnant women, this is not so scary, but in women with progressive pathology, severe bleeding can open.
Glasses and lenses in the delivery room
In pregnancy, myopia of the first degree, angiopathy (grade I) and other visual impairments affect the management of labor. In most cases, a woman can give birth on her own. But is it possible to give birth in lenses if the patient wears them constantly? Doctors have no consensus on this. As a rule, doctors ask a woman to remove the lenses, because if urgent surgical intervention is required, then there will be no time to remove the correction tool. And if a woman is pushing incorrectly, then the lenses themselves can cause an aggravation of the eye condition.
As for the glasses, they can be taken to the Rodzal without any problems. Many feel uncomfortable without correction, even with a slight deterioration in vision, and a woman during childbirth needs to ensure maximum comfort.
Problem prevention
With mild myopia during pregnancy, attention should be paid to preventive measures. Pregnant women (especially in the first trimester) are contraindicated in severe physical exertion, stress and nervous experience, malnutrition, injuries should be avoided and bad habits should be abandoned. You should walk outside daily and take vitamins.
It is recommended to do simple exercises for eye health. Weak pregnancy myopia with such prophylaxis can even disappear if the changes are physiological. It is advisable to repeat the complex every day. It is enough to squint for five seconds as much as possible, blink intensively for a minute, make left-right, up-down, eye movements diagonally and circumferentially. Suitable exercises will be recommended by an ophthalmologist.
So, myopia of the 1st degree in a pregnant woman is not dangerous and practically does not affect the methodology of childbirth. A woman needs to visit an ophthalmologist and get a doctor’s recommendations, which it is advisable to follow not only during pregnancy, but also after its logical completion. Most likely, physiological changes during the period of bearing a child will not lead to visual impairment, weak myopia during pregnancy will not worsen.