Bad Vision in Pregnancy

Oestrogen

It has been known for a number of years now that oestrogen can directly affect the cornea. Increased oestrogen levels during pregnancy can have a direct impact on the biomechanical stability of the cornea. In other words, the cornea becomes “softer” at the end of the pregnancy. This can have a number of consequences.

• Keratoconus: pregnancy can worsen existing keratoconus. Our group has already published on this topic years ago.
• Post-LASIK ectasia: our research group was one of the first to report cases of patients who underwent LASIK, who showed excellent results and good vision for years after LASIK… until they became pregnant. During pregnancy, these women then developed post-LASIK ectasia. This is very similar to keratoconus, and is the most threatening complication after LASIK / PRK. These cases demonstrate the importance of the surgeon’s experience in assessing patient’s suitability for undergoing LASIK. Also, the surgeon must be very familiar with the topic of biomechanics of the cornea.