Is it safe to have my eyes dilated while nursing?

[amyandelle]

I have not had my eyes dilated in years because I was either pg or nursing and didn't want to take a chance.

I have been having problems lately (and in this last pregnancy) with super dry eyes, floaters, and now little pin pricks of light (occasionaly). I want to make an appt. with the eye doc but I want to make sure it is safe for them to dilate my eyes. Azaliah is 7 months old and she has started solids so I can go some hours without nursing if I have to but I have looked on the internet and I can't find any solid answers.

Thanks,
Amy

[mamazee]

I can't imagine how eye dilation could possibly affect your milk. If you're not finding info, it's probably just because nobody ever thought there would be an effect. I'd just nurse and relax.

[AnnieNimIty]

Not to freak you out or anything, but there are a lot of things that pregnancy does to your eyes that you need to be aware of. I got my eyes dilated when I was still BF and the Optometrist didn't mention that it would harm dd or anything.
BUT He did tell me that due to hormones you could actually get a detached retina, a tear in your retina, and your eye sight could get worse. I have a couple floaters in my left eye and he said that it is important to keep watch on those things so that you don't end up letting it get too far and losing a good portion of your sight.
It is actually really interesting how hormones effect the different parts of your eyes.

[Bena]

Originally Posted by ObliviousAnnette

Not to freak you out or anything, but there are a lot of things that pregnancy does to your eyes that you need to be aware of. I got my eyes dilated when I was still BF and the Optometrist didn't mention that it would harm dd or anything.
BUT He did tell me that due to hormones you could actually get a detached retina, a tear in your retina, and your eye sight could get worse. I have a couple floaters in my left eye and he said that it is important to keep watch on those things so that you don't end up letting it get too far and losing a good portion of your sight.
It is actually really interesting how hormones effect the different parts of your eyes.

My eye doctor said the same thing...when I saw hime in June (I was 4 months pregnant) he said he wouldn`t be dilating my eyes during pregnancy and as long as I was BFing

[paquerette]

I had mine done in March... baby was 6 mo. and the doctor saw some very small holes in my retinas and I was supposed to go back in but never did. I don't really feel like I have any vision problems, though.

[~pi]

Originally Posted by Bena

My eye doctor said the same thing...when I saw hime in June (I was 4 months pregnant) he said he wouldn`t be dilating my eyes during pregnancy and as long as I was BFing

Interesting. I'm high risk for eye problems so I have check-ups (with dilation) annually and once each trimester while pregnant. My understanding is that there is limited data, but if there is a legitimate reason to have the dilation done, it's probably worth the (small, theoretical) risk.

A good resource for these questions is Motherisk: [phone] (Toronto, Canada, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.) They have all the latest info and have people trained to answer questions from pregnant and nursing moms. You might have to pay long-distance phone charges, but the service itself is free.