Vision Changes in Pregnancy
/Today we are joined by Dr. Ben Young. Ben is an ophthalmology resident at Yale New Haven Hospital in Connecticut, and is sharing with us a common complaint that we know very little about - the eye in pregnancy!
Ben also hosts Eyes For Ears, an educational podcast and flashcard reference for ophthalmology residents. If you happen to know any vision sciences students or residents, let them know about it!
We start out talking about the “ocular vital signs,” which are:
- Visual Acuity
- Pupils (“swinging light test”)
- Intraocular pressure
- Visual Fields
- Extra-ocular movements
Image copyright of FOAMCast
The most common reasons for ophthalmology issues in pregnancy relate to either 1) vision changes requiring a new prescription, or 2) dry eye. However, don’t forget some key pearls:
- Monocular (single eye) double vision — dry eye. Binocular (both eye) double vision — badness!
- A Snellen chart and a flashlight are the best tools you have to help out a consultant.
- Check out this video on how to perform a swinging flashlight test.
Further reading from the OBG Project:
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