Your contacts may suddenly feel dry by lunchtime. A familiar pair of glasses may seem slightly less sharp. During pregnancy, changes like these can show up even when nothing about your usual eye-care routine has changed.
John D. Olkowski, MD, from EyeSight Hawaii, is a corneal and refractive specialist practicing as an ophthalmologist in Honolulu [1]. Pregnancy adds useful context to an eye complaint because hormonal, vascular, and fluid changes can affect both vision and eye comfort [2].
Some vision changes can come and go with pregnancy
Pregnancy affects more than the reproductive system. Hormonal, metabolic, vascular, and fluid changes can influence tissues throughout the body, including the eyes. Reviews of pregnancy-related eye changes describe temporary shifts in the cornea, tear film, and focusing system, although not every pregnant person experiences them [2].
A prescription that worked perfectly before pregnancy can suddenly seem slightly “off.” Distance signs may look softer, or reading may take more effort on some days than others.
Some pregnancy-related refractive changes are temporary and may improve after delivery [2]. Sudden vision changes or changes accompanied by other symptoms deserve prompt medical attention [4,6,7].
Dry eye can also cause blurry or fluctuating vision, so not every change in clarity comes from the glasses prescription itself [3].
Because pregnancy-related refractive changes can be temporary, changes to glasses or contact-lens prescriptions are often postponed until vision has stabilized after delivery [2,9].
Dry, irritated eyes can make contact lenses harder to wear
Contact lenses are often where a change in eye comfort becomes especially noticeable.
The tear film has to keep the eye’s surface lubricated while allowing the lens to sit comfortably. Hormonal and other physiological changes during pregnancy may influence tear-film stability and the ocular surface. A 2025 review found that dry-eye symptoms are reported during pregnancy, particularly later in pregnancy, while also noting that current evidence has not firmly established pregnancy itself as a confirmed risk factor for dry-eye disease [3].
So the relationship is more nuanced than saying pregnancy automatically causes dry eyes.
For someone who normally wears contacts all day, the change can still be frustrating. Lenses that used to disappear from awareness may begin to feel scratchy. Vision may become intermittently hazy. Comfortable wearing time may get shorter. Pregnancy literature has also described temporary contact-lens intolerance that can improve after pregnancy [2].
If comfortable wearing time becomes shorter, switching to glasses for part of the day may be an easier option than trying to maintain your usual contact-lens schedule.
Pain, significant redness, light sensitivity, sudden blurry vision, unusual watering, or discharge deserve a different response. The National Eye Institute advises contact-lens wearers with these symptoms to remove their lenses and contact an eye doctor if symptoms persist or worsen [5].
It is also sensible to be cautious about self-treating with whatever medicated eye drops happen to be available at home. Pregnancy can affect decisions about eye medications, so tell both your prenatal clinician and eye-care provider before starting or changing a medicated eye treatment [8].
If discomfort continues even after reducing contact-lens wear, bring it up at an eye appointment.
A changing prescription may not tell the whole story
Blur during pregnancy can lead to an understandable conclusion: your glasses prescription must have changed.
Sometimes it has. Pregnancy has been associated with temporary refractive changes, and changes involving the cornea and fluid balance have been proposed as possible contributors [2]. But research findings are not completely uniform, and not every healthy pregnant eye undergoes a meaningful refractive change.
The tear film can make vision fluctuate. So can a contact lens that is no longer sitting comfortably. A genuine change in refraction is another possibility. An eye exam can help separate those explanations instead of treating “blurry vision” as a single problem.
Even when a prescription change may be temporary, blur that interferes with driving, work, reading, or other daily tasks is worth discussing with an eye-care professional.
This matters even more if you entered pregnancy with an eye condition or a medical condition that can affect the eyes. Pregnancy can alter the course of some pre-existing ocular diseases, and diabetes and high blood pressure can have effects on the retina and other eye structures that may require closer monitoring [2].
A refraction measures which lens power improves vision, while the rest of the eye exam can help clarify why the change occurred.
The symptoms worth bringing up sooner rather than later
Dryness and gradual fluctuations are one part of the picture. A sudden or significant change in vision needs a faster response.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists lists seeing spots or other changes in eyesight among the warning signs of preeclampsia, a serious high-blood-pressure disorder that usually develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy and can also occur after childbirth. A headache that will not go away, swelling of the face or hands, upper abdominal or shoulder pain, nausea or vomiting later in pregnancy, sudden weight gain, and difficulty breathing are other warning signs [4].
If a new vision problem occurs with symptoms like these, contact your obstetric clinician right away rather than waiting for a routine eye appointment [4].
Some symptoms also warrant urgent eye care regardless of pregnancy. A sudden increase in floaters, flashes of light, or a dark curtain or shadow over part of your vision can occur with a retinal tear or retinal detachment. The National Eye Institute recommends going to an eye doctor or emergency department right away when those symptoms occur [6].
Intense eye pain, a marked change in vision, or a very red and watery eye also deserves prompt evaluation [7].
Speed and accompanying symptoms matter. Mild irritation that builds after hours of contact-lens wear is different from suddenly seeing spots while dealing with a severe headache.
When the cause remains unclear, EyeSight Hawaii offers comprehensive eye examinations, refraction for glasses and contact lenses, corneal evaluation, and dry-eye diagnosis and management at its Honolulu office [1]. These are among the areas an eye-care professional may evaluate when pregnancy-related blur or discomfort persists.
If your vision changes during pregnancy, note what you noticed, how quickly it started, and whether anything else changed at the same time. That gives both your prenatal clinician and eye-care professional more useful information to work with.
References
[1] Facts about the practice. (n.d.). https://eyesighthawaii.com/facts/
[2] Naderan, M. (2018). Ocular changes during pregnancy. Journal of Current Ophthalmology, 30(3), 202–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joco.2017.11.012
[3] Jaruchowska, M., Przybek-Skrzypecka, J., & Skrzypecki, J. (2025). Pregnancy and dry eye syndrome: A review for clinical practice. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(20), 9990. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26209990
[4] American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (n.d.). Preeclampsia and high blood pressure during pregnancy. https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/preeclampsia-and-high-blood-pressure-during-pregnancy
[5] National Eye Institute. (2024). Contact lenses. https://www.nei.nih.gov/eye-health-information/healthy-vision/contact-lenses
[6] National Eye Institute. (2025). Retinal detachment. https://www.nei.nih.gov/eye-health-information/eye-conditions-and-diseases/retinal-detachment
[7] National Eye Institute. (2025). Corneal conditions. https://www.nei.nih.gov/eye-health-information/eye-conditions-and-diseases/corneal-conditions
[8] Demarinis, G., Tatti, F., Taloni, A., Giugliano, A. V., Panthagani, J., Myerscough, J., Peiretti, E., & Giannaccare, G. (2023). Treatments for ocular diseases in pregnancy and breastfeeding: A narrative review. Pharmaceuticals, 16(10), 1433. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16101433
[9] Madike, R., et al. (2024). Pregnancy and the eye: What do we need to watch out for? A review. Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology. https://doi.org/10.1111/ceo.14346
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