El-Baz, H., Mostafa, M., Abdel Karim, A. (2018). Variations Occurring in Intraocular Pressure and Refraction during Pregnancy. The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, 73(10), 7814-7820. doi: 10.21608/ejhm.2018.20347
Hassan Elsayed El-Baz; Mostafa Mahmoud Mostafa; Ahmed Abdel Moniem Abdel Karim. "Variations Occurring in Intraocular Pressure and Refraction during Pregnancy". The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, 73, 10, 2018, 7814-7820. doi: 10.21608/ejhm.2018.20347
El-Baz, H., Mostafa, M., Abdel Karim, A. (2018). 'Variations Occurring in Intraocular Pressure and Refraction during Pregnancy', The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, 73(10), pp. 7814-7820. doi: 10.21608/ejhm.2018.20347
El-Baz, H., Mostafa, M., Abdel Karim, A. Variations Occurring in Intraocular Pressure and Refraction during Pregnancy. The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, 2018; 73(10): 7814-7820. doi: 10.21608/ejhm.2018.20347
Variations Occurring in Intraocular Pressure and Refraction during Pregnancy
Ophthalmology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Egypt
Abstract
Background: pregnancy represents an important challenge in the female's life that she needs close observation during it and also needs counseling by her physician about the changes that are going through her body in this stressful period. Aim of the Work: the purpose of our study was to detect the changes that occur in the women's eyes during pregnancy and postpartum period regarding intraocular pressure and refraction. Patients and Methods: we studied 40 pregnant healthy women whose ages ranged from 18 to 35 years and we exclude any ocular diseases such as keratoconus, amblyopia or diabetic retinopathy. We measured the intraocular pressure using a Goldmann applanation tonometer, best corrected visual acuity using the Snellen's chart and k reading using autorefractor-keratometer. Results: we found that the IOP decreases only in the 3rd trimester with more decrease in women with multiple fetuses and multiple pregnancies. We found that the BCVA decreases only in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. We also found that the K reading increases only in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. Intraocular pressure, best corrected visual acuity and k reading returned to the normal values after delivery. Conclusion: the physiologic changes that occur in the women's eyes during pregnancy and postpartum period are usually marked in second and third trimester; this is because at this period, hormonal activity is at its peak, and however these changes are transient because several weeks postpartum, all hormonal activities return to their prenatal levels.