March is celebrated as Women’s History Month and the 8th March is International Women’s Day so we’re focusing on all things women’s eye health.
Two thirds of all blindness and visual impairment occurs in women, for this and several other reasons, women’s eye health deserves its own special attention.
The Facts
• Women typically live longer, putting them at higher risk for eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, and cataracts.
• Women are also more likely to suffer from autoimmune conditions, which often come with visual side effects.
• Normal age-related hormonal changes may also affect women’s eyes. Dry eye is more common in women party due to hormonal changes that come with aging.
• Women are more likely to undergo certain cancer treatments that may affect vision.
According to a Study By Prevent Blindness:
• Less than 10% of women realise that they are at a greater risk of permanent vision loss than men.
• 86% of women incorrectly believe that men and women are at equal risk.
• 5% of women think that men are at greater risk.
• 1 in 4 women has not had an eye test in the last 2 years.
What Should Women Be Doing To Protect Their Eyes?
Get a Dilated Eye Exam: This is the only way to know if your eyes are healthy and your vision is intact.
Eat a Healthy Diet: Lower your risk of eye disease by eating plenty of fresh fruits, leafy green vegetables, salmon, tuna, and other oily fish. You should also include eggs, nuts, beans, and other non-meat protein sources.
Maintain a Healthy Weight: Manage chronic conditions, such as diabetes.
Don’t Smoke: Smoking is linked to AMD, cataracts, and glaucoma.
Know Your Family History: Share it with your doctor, many eye diseases are hereditary.
Use Protective Eyewear: Protect your eyes when doing household chores or outdoor work, playing sports, or working on a job that involves flying debris, sparks, or chemicals. Wear safety glasses, goggles, shields, or eye guards made of polycarbonate.
Wear Sunglasses: Sunglasses help protect your eyes from UV rays. Prolonged exposure to sunlight can increase your risk of cataracts and AMD. Look for sunglasses blocking out 99-100% of UVA and UVB rays.
Pregnancy and Your Vision
Pregnancy brings an increase in hormones that may cause changes in vision. In most cases, these are temporary eye conditions that will return to normal after delivery.
As an expectant mother you should be aware of vision changes during pregnancy and know what symptoms indicate a serious problem.
If you suffer from any pre-existing conditions like glaucoma, high blood pressure, or diabetes, it’s important that you tell your optometrist you’re pregnant. Your optometrist will want to monitor your eyes closely for changes during this time.
Refractive Changes
During pregnancy, changes in hormone levels can alter the strength you need in your glasses or contact lenses. Though usually nothing to worry about, it’s a good idea to discuss any vision changes with your optometrist who can help you to decide whether or not to change your prescription. You may be told to wait a few weeks after giving birth before making a change in your prescription.
Dry Eyes
Some women experience dry eyes during pregnancy. This is usually temporary and goes away after giving birth. Thankfully, lubricating eye drops are perfectly safe to use whilst you are pregnant or nursing.
Wearing Contact Lenses
Contact lenses, contact lens solutions, and enzymatic cleaners are all safe to use whilst you are pregnant. To reduce irritation cause by a combination of dry eyes and contact lenses, try cleaning your contacts with an enzymatic cleaner more often. If dry, irritated eyes make wearing contacts too uncomfortable, don’t worry – your eyes will return to normal within a few weeks post birth.
Puffy Eyelids
Puffiness around the eyes is another common side effect of certain hormonal changes women may have whilst pregnant. Puffy eyelids can interfere with your vision from the sides. Remember to keep drinking plenty of water and stick to a moderate diet, low in sodium and caffeine.
Migraines
Migraines linked to hormonal changes are very common among pregnant women. In some cases, migraines make eyes feel more sensitive to light.
If you are pregnant and suffering from migraines, talk to your doctor before taking any prescription or non-prescription migraine medication.
Diabetes
Women who are diabetic before their pregnancy and those who develop gestational diabetes need to watch their vision closely.
Blurred vision in such cases may indicate elevated blood sugar levels.
You can read more about the effects of diabetes on the eye in our blog about Diabetic Retinopathy.
High Blood Pressure
In some cases, a woman might have blurry vision or spots in front of her eyes whilst pregnant. These symptoms can be caused by an increase in blood pressure during pregnancy. At excessive levels, high blood pressure can even cause retinal detachment.
Glaucoma
Women being treated for glaucoma should tell their optometrist right away if they are pregnant or intend to become pregnant.
While many glaucoma medications are safe to take during pregnancy, certain medications such as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors can be harmful to the developing baby.
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If you’re worried about your eyesight, are pregnant, or intending on becoming pregnant soon, book in for a conversation with one of our friendly optometrists at D. I. Blow Opticians today.
