الفهرس 
Retinal disease in pregnancyOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Pregnancy is associated with many physiological and physical changes that are attributed to the shift in hormonal levels, mainly the estrogen and progesterone during the reproductive phases of the first, second and third trimesters. These include gastrointestinal complaints, breast tenderness, fatigue, dizziness, gaining weight, frequent urination and pregnancy mask. Moreover, the estrogen and progesterone were related to somato-psychologic disturbances in pregnancy as early as the first trimester.
The pregnancy imposes an effect on each organ system of the body, and the eye is no exception. Pregnancy-induced ocular changes include reduction in the intraocular pressure (IOP), unilateral ptosis, dry eye and alteration in lens and corneal curvature have been observed and attributed to fluid and hormonal changes.
The ophthalmic changes could start as early as the first trimester and recovery to the pre-pregnancy levels could take weeks to months post-partum.
In pregnancy, plasma volume expands to support the utero-placental blood flow to the fetus. The increase in total body water can be detected early in the pregnancy and continue till the delivery. Pregnancy-induced corneal thickness due to edema has been reported. An alteration in the refractive error and transient loss of accommodation may follow. Fluid retention during pregnancy may affect other ocular tissue such as the choroid, increasing its thickness in the second or third trimesters. Subfoveal choroidal areas were also found to be of higher thickness in healthy pregnant subjects. These changes were detected using optical coherence tomography (OCT).