Dry eyes during pregnancy? These 4 things could be the cause

Pregnancy does cause most of the changes in a woman's body, and your eyes are no exception. Towards the end of the first trimester, you will usually complain of dryness in your eyes. Usually this complaint will continue throughout your pregnancy. Even up to several months after the birth of your little one. So, what are the causes of dry eyes during pregnancy?

Is dry eye during pregnancy dangerous?

Dry eye condition during pregnancy is known as dry eye syndrome. Dry eyes during pregnancy are usually caused by a change in the number or type of tears you produce, so your tears are not moist enough. Here are some of the symptoms you may be feeling.

Red eye.
Your eyes feel like they are gritty and are getting worse with each passing day.
Sticky eyelids when you wake up in the morning.
The eyes water easily when there is a fairly strong wind.

Initially you may feel your eyes dry during the day only. However, over time you will notice that dry eyes during pregnancy occur throughout the day and start to bother you. If you wear contact lenses, you may feel very uncomfortable using them. Therefore, when you start experiencing symptoms like the following, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Your red eyes have become severe.
The eye starts to hurt.
Your eyes are more sensitive to glare.
Your vision starts to decrease.

These symptoms may be caused by damage to the transparent layer covering the front of your eye, or what is called the cornea. If not treated promptly, your eyesight can be permanently damaged.

If your dry eyes start to bother you, come to an eye doctor immediately to make sure your eyes are healthy. Don't take this for granted.

So, what are the causes of dry eyes during pregnancy?

There are several reasons why your eyes become dry when you are pregnant. There are reasons that are not dangerous, but there are also ones you should be aware of. For more details, see the explanation below.

1. Hormonal changes

Hormonal changes, especially a decrease in androgen hormones, are one of the causes of dry eyes during pregnancy. These changes continue to occur, even after childbirth and breastfeeding. Therefore, women will still experience dry eye symptoms at this time.

In addition to dry eyes, many women are noted to experience sore eyes or something that feels like a lump in them. Dry eyes during pregnancy also cause a pregnant woman's eyes to be more sensitive to glare and sometimes her eyes will feel itchy.

Pregnant women who feel dry eyes should use eye drops that can moisturize the eyes to treat dry eyes during pregnancy. This product is an artificial tear, in contrast to the type of eye drops that are intended to treat eye irritation.

2. Decreased tear production

According to the Natural Eye Care website, the hormonal changes caused by pregnancy usually lead to decreased tear production by the tear glands. This decreased volume of tears causes the pregnant woman's eyes to become drier.

3. Changes in the oil glands

The oil glands in women usually undergo changes during pregnancy. These gland changes make many pregnant women more prone to acne. These changes can also inhibit the production of lipids and oil glands which are usually used to moisturize the eyes.

As a result, a decrease in the production of lipids and oil glands alters the production of tears required by the eye. When your eyes blink and you rub your eyes, this actually makes your eyes drier.

To fix this, you can compress your eyes using warm water to help trigger the production of lipids and oil glands.

4. Other causes

Pregnancy can affect the function of the tear film, causing dry eyes. This is influenced by an increase in immune reactions (immune) in the cells of the lacrimal ducts (tear glands) and damage to certain cells by the hormone prolactin.

In addition, dryness of the eyes is also affected by dehydration caused by nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and the use of anti-nausea drugs. Therefore, you should consult your eye doctor to determine the cause of dry eyes during pregnancy. That way, you will know how to solve it.