During the nine months of their pregnancy, and for a year afterwards women in the UK are exempted from paying prescription charges or for dentistry work since it's known that the changes in body chemistry that occur as a result of pregnancy may affect and effect all sorts of conditions.
However, they're not so lucky when it comes to eyes. This seems a bit strange since it's well understood that pregnancy can seriously change eyesight. The cornea becomes about 3% thicker during pregnancy, due to bloating caused by the hormone progesterone. This normally occurs about 10 weeks into the pregnancy and will normally rectify within about six weeks of giving birth. The other major effect is that the pressure in the eye drops by about 10%. This means the eye is smaller. You don't have to be a great rocket scientist - or indeed a ophthalmist - to understand that these changes could affect the way the eye focuses. My head is currently full of schoolboy diagrams showing how light bends as it passes through different mediums and yours is doubtless similar.
About 20% of pregnant women will notice a significant change in their eyesight over the course of their pregnancy. It's not uncommon for women to have a pair of glasses specifically for when they get pregnant. Sorry, hang on. Not, when they get pregnant - 'Hey baby, I've got my special sexy seduction glasses on... You wanna come to bed?' - when they are pregnant. That's better.
Despite the fact that a significant number of women will experience problems, eye treatment is not subsidised during pregnancy.
Yesterday, K___ and I walked into town to the local opticians. K___ was wondering whether changes in her eyesight might explain the occasional blinding headaches she's been having. She was a little nervous, since her eyesight has always been 20:20 and she didn't relish the thought of them being affected by the pregnancy. I entirely understand the logic, but since my eyes are nothing like 20:20, and I manage perfectly all right, I didn't really share her anxiety.
I went and hung out in the bookshop next door while K___ went for her appointment. It was only a small bookstore and they had a really deficient current affairs section which annoyed me. I'd recently bought a few bits of fiction, so I wasn't looking for anything there and by the time K___ returned, I was reduced to looking at pop-up books of dragons. Oh okay then; I wanted to, because I'm a bit sad. Happy now?
Anyway, so K___ grabs me and we head for the street. I ask how it went.
Apparently it's all hi-tech now. It's not just a case of reading the bottom line on the eye chart (though she could). It's all laser beams being stuck into your eyes by R2D2-style robots or something. K___detailed how the ophthalmist told her he was going to pop some anesthetising drops in to each eye. Fair enough. Next, he got his fingers... (message for S___: look away now - I know how you feel about eyes) '... and pushed really hard on each eyeball. 'Just testing for glaucoma..' he said. What about 'squashed eyes'? Will you be testing for that, huh? Fortunately, the rest of it wasn't quite so nasty. So, what was the conclusion?
"Twenty eight quid for fifteen minutes work! Talk about money for old rope!'
'Yes, but how are your eyes?'
'Oh them! Yes, they're fine. Better than 20:20, in fact.'
'Better? I didn't know there was better than 20:20!'
'Well there is and I've got them. Apparently I may have to start wearing reading glasses in a thousand years or something, but I'm absolutely fine.'
However, they're not so lucky when it comes to eyes. This seems a bit strange since it's well understood that pregnancy can seriously change eyesight. The cornea becomes about 3% thicker during pregnancy, due to bloating caused by the hormone progesterone. This normally occurs about 10 weeks into the pregnancy and will normally rectify within about six weeks of giving birth. The other major effect is that the pressure in the eye drops by about 10%. This means the eye is smaller. You don't have to be a great rocket scientist - or indeed a ophthalmist - to understand that these changes could affect the way the eye focuses. My head is currently full of schoolboy diagrams showing how light bends as it passes through different mediums and yours is doubtless similar.
About 20% of pregnant women will notice a significant change in their eyesight over the course of their pregnancy. It's not uncommon for women to have a pair of glasses specifically for when they get pregnant. Sorry, hang on. Not, when they get pregnant - 'Hey baby, I've got my special sexy seduction glasses on... You wanna come to bed?' - when they are pregnant. That's better.
Despite the fact that a significant number of women will experience problems, eye treatment is not subsidised during pregnancy.
Yesterday, K___ and I walked into town to the local opticians. K___ was wondering whether changes in her eyesight might explain the occasional blinding headaches she's been having. She was a little nervous, since her eyesight has always been 20:20 and she didn't relish the thought of them being affected by the pregnancy. I entirely understand the logic, but since my eyes are nothing like 20:20, and I manage perfectly all right, I didn't really share her anxiety.
I went and hung out in the bookshop next door while K___ went for her appointment. It was only a small bookstore and they had a really deficient current affairs section which annoyed me. I'd recently bought a few bits of fiction, so I wasn't looking for anything there and by the time K___ returned, I was reduced to looking at pop-up books of dragons. Oh okay then; I wanted to, because I'm a bit sad. Happy now?
Anyway, so K___ grabs me and we head for the street. I ask how it went.
Apparently it's all hi-tech now. It's not just a case of reading the bottom line on the eye chart (though she could). It's all laser beams being stuck into your eyes by R2D2-style robots or something. K___detailed how the ophthalmist told her he was going to pop some anesthetising drops in to each eye. Fair enough. Next, he got his fingers... (message for S___: look away now - I know how you feel about eyes) '... and pushed really hard on each eyeball. 'Just testing for glaucoma..' he said. What about 'squashed eyes'? Will you be testing for that, huh? Fortunately, the rest of it wasn't quite so nasty. So, what was the conclusion?
"Twenty eight quid for fifteen minutes work! Talk about money for old rope!'
'Yes, but how are your eyes?'
'Oh them! Yes, they're fine. Better than 20:20, in fact.'
'Better? I didn't know there was better than 20:20!'
'Well there is and I've got them. Apparently I may have to start wearing reading glasses in a thousand years or something, but I'm absolutely fine.'
Hello..just thought that I would comment that also during pregnancy the body makes a lot more blood and this change in blood circulation can lead to headaches as well..I know this pregnancy I have had far more headaches than I ever have!
ReplyDeleteVery true, and the hormones can cause them too!
ReplyDelete