Final answer:
Blurred vision during pregnancy can be caused by common conditions like myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, or may indicate pregnancy-related changes in the eyes. Significant changes in vision should be evaluated by a healthcare provider, as they could sometimes be a sign of more serious pregnancy complications.
Step-by-step explanation:
Blurred vision during pregnancy may indicate a variety of eye conditions such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), presbyopia, or astigmatism. These conditions lead to the eyes' failure to focus images correctly on the retina, causing blurred vision. However, blurred vision in pregnancy can also be due to pregnancy-related changes, including hormonal fluctuations that may affect the shape and thickness of the cornea, or the fluid pressure inside the eyes. It's important for pregnant women experiencing significant changes in vision to consult their healthcare provider, as it could sometimes signal more serious conditions like preeclampsia, a complication characterized by high blood pressure and potential damage to other organs.
Common vision problems like myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism can start in childhood or adolescence, but may also change or become more noticeable during pregnancy. Presbyopia typically begins in middle adulthood and is not directly related to pregnancy, but if a pregnant woman is of the age where presbyopia occurs, it could coincide with her pregnancy. These conditions can cause distant objects to appear blurred due to the divergence of rays on the retina (myopia), near objects to appear blurred due to insufficient convergence (hyperopia), or images to appear elongated due to irregularities in the cornea (astigmatism).