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Dry Eye in Pregnancy: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments

Medically reviewed by Valinda Riggins Nwadike, MD, MPH — By Noreen Iftikhar, MD on September 29, 2020

You knew you’d have to give up lots of things while pregnant — all definitely worth it, of course — but wearing contact lenses wasn’t on that list!

Yes, your dry eyes may be linked to your pregnancy.

You can have dry eye syndrome when you’re not pregnant, but during pregnancy, dry, gritty eyes are caused by your roller-coaster hormones. Oh, the irony: Pregnancy hormones that can make you teary-eyed one minute can give you dry eyes the next!

Don’t worry. Having dry eyes during pregnancy is annoying but otherwise harmless. And it’ll likely go away a few weeks after you give birth, when your hormone levels balance out.

Here’s what to know about dry eyes while pregnant, as well as what you can do about it.

Dry eyes during pregnancy (or at any time) can give you lots of different symptoms, including some you might not expect. You’ll probably have dry eye symptoms in both eyes, but you can also get them in just one eye. They include:

• redness
• watery eyes (it sounds counterintuitive, but this happens as your body tries to fix the problem!)
• soreness or tenderness
• itchiness
• a burning or stinging sensation
• grittiness or feeling like something is in your eyes
• sticky eyelids or eyelids that are stuck closed when you wake up
• difficulty wearing contact lenses
• mucus or white, stringy pus in or around the eyes
• sensitivity to light
• poor nighttime vision
• blurred vision
• tired eyes or eye fatigue

Dry eye syndrome is a common condition that can happen to anyone. It normally happens when your eyes don’t make enough tears — or the right kind of tears — to stay moist and comfortable.

Your tears aren’t just water. They’re made up of water, mucus, and fatty oils. This finely balanced mixture helps keep your eyes moist and clean. If your body doesn’t make enough tears or the tear mixture changes, you can get dry eyes.

Dry eyes during pregnancy usually happen because your hormones are off the charts. Hormonal changes are important for a healthy pregnancy, but they can cause side effects like dry eyes.

If you’re pregnant and suddenly have dry eyes, it’s normally because pregnancy hormones are making your body produce fewer tears.

One study found that pregnancy causes eye and tear changes throughout the 9 months, as well as that you may have less concentrated tears in your last trimester, compared with earlier in your pregnancy.

More research is needed on why this happens, but it might have something to do with protecting the eyes from pressure changes that also happen in pregnancy.

Other risk factors for dry eyes during pregnancy include:

• wearing contact lenses
• dehydration
• being indoors with the heat or fan on
• being outside in the sunlight
• being outside in the cold or wind
• not eating enough vitamin-A-rich foods
• not getting enough omega-3 fatty acids in your diet

The following strategies may help prevent dry eyes during pregnancy:

• drinking plenty of water, especially if you’re vomiting
• eating a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables
• taking a prenatal vitamin (and other supplements if recommended by your OB-GYN or midwife)
• using a humidifier at home to get rid of dry air
• keeping plants in your home to help keep the air moist and fresh
• wearing sunglasses when you’re outdoors to protect your eyes from the sun and wind
• avoiding staring at screens too long

And try these three home remedies to help soothe dry eye symptoms:

• Massage your eyes. Wash your hands and gently massage your closed eyelids by rolling your fingertip over them. This can help encourage more tear production in your eyes.
• Wash your eyes. Cool boiled water to make your own sterile solution to clean your eyes. Soak a cotton pad in the water and dab it over your closed eyes. Start in the corner of your eyes and go over both your upper and lower eyelids. (This is also good practice for when you have to clean your baby’s eyes!)
• Mist your face. Make a natural face mist to moisten your face and eyes. Combine sterile water and pure rose water. Keep it in a spray bottle and mist your face whenever you need to freshen up dry, tired eyes. This solution smells so good, it’ll double as a natural perfume!

Ask your healthcare provider about the best eye drops to use to prevent dry eyes during pregnancy. Most lubricating or moisturizing eye drops (also called artificial tears) are safe to use while you’re pregnant.

Make sure you don’t use any kind of medicated eye drops. Double-check the ingredients and ask your provider if you’re not sure.

It’s best to avoid wearing contact lenses and stick to your glasses. If you need to wear contact lenses, try cleaning them more often to prevent them from drying out.

Some eye changes during pregnancy can be more serious than just dry eyes.

Inform your healthcare provider immediately if you feel pressure in your eyes or have eye pain. Eye symptoms can indicate that something serious is going on, such as preeclampsia. Seek medical attention if you have eye symptoms like:

• blurred vision
• changes in color vision
• seeing auras or halos
• seeing flashing lights
• floaters
• dark spots in your field of vision
• the inability to focus
• temporary or quick bursts of blindness

You may be at higher risk of serious eye changes during pregnancy if you have any of the following health conditions:

• diabetes or gestational diabetes
• high blood pressure
• kidney disease

Let your OB-GYN know right away if you have severe morning sickness or vomiting. If you’re finding it difficult to keep food and water down, you might get dehydrated quickly. Your provider may recommend medications or an overnight stay in the hospital if you’re dehydrated.

Pregnancy can cause other eye changes besides dry eyes. If your vision seems consistently blurry, tell your OB-GYN right away. You might just need new glasses, as pregnancy hormones can give you dry eyes and change your vision slightly. These pregnancy symptoms will typically go back to normal once you’ve had your baby.

Dry eyes during pregnancy are common and usually harmless. They’ll typically go away on their own a few weeks after you deliver your little one. You can help soothe dry eye symptoms with moistening eye drops and other home remedies.

Pregnancy hormones can cause lots of eye changes during pregnancy. Tell your healthcare provider about all your eye symptoms during pregnancy. Dry eyes are usually not serious, but other eye changes might be a sign of a more serious condition like high blood pressure.

Last medically reviewed on September 29, 2020

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• Pregnancy
• Pregnancy Health

How we reviewed this article:

Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

• Duran M, et al. (2018). The effect of pregnancy on tear osmolarity. DOI:
  10.1016/j.clae.2018.10.007
• Mayo Clinic Staff. (2020). Dry eyes.
  mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dry-eyes/symptoms-causes/syc-20371863
• Naderan M. (2018). Ocular changes during pregnancy. DOI:
  10.1016/j.joco.2017.11.012
• Pregnancy and your vision. (2013).
  preventblindness.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/SJS_FS02_PregnancyVision.pdf
• Signs and symptoms: Is it just a pregnancy symptom or something more? (2020).
  preeclampsia.org/signs-and-symptoms

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

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Medically reviewed by Valinda Riggins Nwadike, MD, MPH — By Noreen Iftikhar, MD on September 29, 2020

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Allergic rhinitis during pregnancy: description of the disease, causes, symptoms, cost of treatment in Moscow

Allergic rhinitis during pregnancy is not uncommon, as the woman's body begins to react more violently to any irritants due to the peculiarities of the hormonal background and some disturbances in the functioning of the nasal mucosa. Most often, before pregnancy, the woman did not have a negative reaction to substances that become irritants when carrying a child. The disease usually debuts abruptly and unexpectedly. Since the condition of a woman with such a phenomenon worsens, it is imperative that when rhinitis appears, it is necessary to seek medical help. It is strictly forbidden to treat the disease on your own due to the fact that serious harm to the fetus can be caused by errors in therapy. Any treatment should be coordinated with the gynecologist who is leading the pregnancy. nine0003

Rhinitis of an allergic nature during pregnancy is primarily due to hormonal changes and features of the immune system. In this case, an unpleasant phenomenon can occur both from the very first day after conception, and after a few months of gestation. According to medical statistics, every third woman suffers from such a disorder during pregnancy. In most cases, after childbirth, rhinitis goes away, and what was an allergen again begins to be normally tolerated by the body. If allergic rhinitis develops during pregnancy, treatment should be mandatory. nine0003

There is usually only one allergen during pregnancy. Intolerance to two or more substances, if it was not previously, is considered an exceptional phenomenon. The most harmless is an allergy to cold, in which rhinitis develops only on the street during the cold season and completely disappears indoors. This form of the disease is not so dangerous, as it is present sporadically and for a short time. With it, the risk of complications is extremely small, and it does not greatly disturb the general condition.

Major irritants

Doctors were able to determine which irritants most often provoke allergic rhinitis. This greatly helps in the treatment of the disease, as it simplifies the process of determining the allergen, the effect of which should be minimized as much as possible.

Allergic rhinitis develops at the moment when an irritant enters the mucous membrane. Due to its presence, inflammation of the mucosa occurs and, as a result, its swelling. The body, in order to get rid of the allergen, begins to secrete a large amount of especially liquid mucus, which should wash it out. Due to the fact that the allergen is constantly supplied with air, it cannot be removed naturally. As a result, it is impossible to solve the problem of allergic rhinitis without drugs. nine0003

The main allergens that can cause problems in pregnant women are:

• pollen of plants and their seeds - they are the cause of rhinitis in the warm season. With these irritants, health may remain unsatisfactory until the very end of the growing season of plants;

• smoke from cigarettes or wood - such irritants usually begin to cause damage to health if a woman lives in an area with unfavorable environmental conditions; nine0003

• Dust - it is not the dust itself that causes allergies, but the dust mites that live in it. Because of this, a negative reaction of the body also occurs when using down pillows and blankets, in which there are ideal conditions for the life of dust mites;

• air fresheners and deodorants - they contain a large number of aggressive chemical components that can cause allergies even in non-pregnant women, and when carrying a child, they almost always provoke a runny nose; nine0003

• animal hair and bird feathers - sometimes during pregnancy, an allergy to pets can develop, although there were no negative consequences from their stay in the house before. To solve the problem, the animal, which has become a source of irritants, must be isolated from the woman in another room until the birth of the child and minimize her contact with him.

Whatever the cause of the disease, it is necessary to carry out treatment with the involvement of a specialist. Self-medication during pregnancy is extremely dangerous and can lead to irreversible negative consequences. nine0003

Quite often, before an allergic rhinitis occurs, a woman has a simple catarrhal rhinitis. During pregnancy, it is this form of the disease that often becomes the impetus for the development of a pathological process, in which something will no longer be tolerated by the body.

At what time is the disease especially dangerous

Depending on how pregnant a woman is, allergic rhinitis poses a greater or lesser danger. The most serious problem is the problem that occurs in the first trimester of pregnancy. At this moment, all systems and organs of the unborn child are laid, and with a lack of oxygen in the blood, especially severe congenital malformations or intrauterine death of the fetus can occur. When a woman in the first trimester does not pay attention to her well-being and does not treat allergic rhinitis, the risk of miscarriage increases many times due to respiratory failure at night. If allergic rhinitis is present in pregnant women, only a doctor will determine how to treat it. nine0003

In the second and third trimester, the lack of oxygen in the mother's blood also does not benefit the child. However, due to the enlarged belly, a woman can only sleep on her side (otherwise she is uncomfortable), respiratory disorders are not so strong and threaten deformities to a lesser extent. At the same time, if you do not start treatment, the symptoms of rhinitis will increase and nasal congestion will constantly disturb. This is already dangerous for the child and can even cause premature birth against the background of general hypoxia of the mother and fetus. nine0003

Forecast

In the event that attention was paid to allergic rhinitis in pregnant women in a timely manner, the prognosis is positive. The violation can be effectively dealt with with the help of drugs allowed during this period, and then the risk of harm to the mother and fetus when an allergy appears will be eliminated. The doctor, if necessary, will adjust the treatment and will be able to build it so that there are no negative side effects of therapy.

If therapy is not started on time and severe fetal hypoxia is already present, then the prognosis is usually considered difficult, since this condition does not pass without a trace for the unborn child. Also, the prognosis will be unfavorable if the treatment was carried out on its own without the involvement of a specialist. In such a situation, there is a risk of serious consequences for the child, due to the fact that the mother used the wrong drugs. nine0003

Differences from colds

There are certain signs that even allow you to independently understand whether a cold or an allergic cause has a runny nose. The main distinguishing feature is that the snot in case of an allergic disorder is liquid, transparent, more like water. If the disease is cold, then the discharge becomes thick, green or yellow-green. They may also have a strong odor. In addition, with a cold, there is an increase in temperature, but not with an allergic one. nine0003

How to cure allergic rhinitis during pregnancy?

Allergic rhinitis develops as a specific response of the body to an allergen and is accompanied by swelling of the nasal mucosa, runny nose, sneezing, and watery eyes. During pregnancy, the situation is aggravated by the fact that it is rather problematic to treat allergic rhinitis during this period. Let's try to figure out what are the causes of the disease and what methods of treatment should be chosen so as not to harm the health of the woman and the unborn child? nine0003

What is the danger?

An additional load on the immune system, hormonal imbalance increases the risk of such terrible complications for a woman as Quincke's edema or anaphylactic shock. There is also a danger to the unborn child. Prolonged nasal breathing difficulties experienced by the mother due to nasopharyngeal edema can cause fetal hypoxia and intrauterine growth retardation. In addition, discomfort, poor health of a woman negatively affects the condition of the child. nine0003

However, the greatest threat comes from improper treatment. Those drugs that have been successfully used before pregnancy can lead to impaired fetal development. Uncontrolled medication is especially dangerous in the first month of pregnancy, when the neural tube and other vital structures of the body are laid. Therefore, the treatment regimen for allergic rhinitis should be selected only by a doctor after a thorough examination of the woman.

Etiology

Allergic rhinitis is caused by the body's hypersensitivity to a provoking agent (allergen). The next contact with the latter triggers a chain of specific immune reactions with the release of substances that form inflammation in the nasal mucosa. Typical precipitating factors are:

• house dust microscopic mites;
• wool, down, pet excrement;
• moulds, especially during sporulation;
• some products;
• household chemicals, perfumery, certain medicines.

It should be noted that in pregnant women the content of estrogen, β-estradiol, growth hormone increases, which increase the reactivity of the immune system. Therefore, the intensity of seizures during gestation can increase significantly. However, a high concentration of estrogen disrupts vascular motility, causing vasomotor rhinitis during pregnancy. It develops in 20-30% of women and disappears after childbirth. Only a plasma test for the presence of class E immunoglobulins, which serve as markers of allergic reactions, can confirm or refute the allergic nature of the disease. nine0003

Symptoms

During an exacerbation of the disease, a woman is disturbed by difficulty in nasal breathing, runny nose, sneezing, itching in the nose and eyes, watery eyes, swelling of the eyelids. Allergic rhinitis in pregnant women is often accompanied by systemic manifestations of the disease:

• dizziness, weakness, hypotension;
• headache;
• sleep disorder;
• increased irritability.

Diagnosis

Examination is carried out by a general practitioner and an allergist-immunologist. When diagnosing, it is important to exclude a respiratory infection, vasomotor rhinitis, drug-induced rhinitis. For this purpose, blood and nasal mucus smears are tested for specific antibodies. For special indications, skin allergy tests are performed. nine0003

Treatment

Treatment of pregnant women with allergic rhinitis is aimed at eliminating the allergen and stopping the symptoms of the disease. In the first trimester, the main methods of therapy are nasal lavage with isotonic solutions and preventive measures aimed at limiting contact with the allergen (regular wet cleaning, airing, frequent bed linen changes, exclusion of potentially dangerous foods from the diet, isolation of pets).

Medicines

Drug therapy is used in severe cases, when the benefits of taking drugs significantly outweigh the risk of toxic effects on the fetus.

Nasal lavage

If the treatment of allergic rhinitis during pregnancy excludes the use of most drugs, the question arises - how to treat the disease? In such a situation, sanitation of the nasal cavities with saline solutions acquires an important therapeutic value. The ingredients of isotonic solutions do not cross the placenta, and therefore do not affect the development of the fetus. Washing with sea solutions cleanses the nasal mucosa from allergens, toxins, infectious agents, without causing dryness of the nasal membranes and without causing hypertension in a pregnant woman. nine0003

To achieve the maximum therapeutic effect, it is necessary to rinse the nose at least 5 times a day, it is better to warm the liquid up to 36-37 °C. When using herbal infusions for the treatment of allergic rhinitis during pregnancy, you should make sure that the plant components in their composition do not have allergenic properties.

Aqualor preparations

Aqualor products are ready-to-use solutions based on natural sea water.

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