Wavy vision...

[LPNGirl07]

Hi,I'm 28 years old & I'm 29 weeks pregnant with my second child. Since about the first month of my pregnancy, I have noticed some odd visual changes. Whenever I'm outside on a bright day, or while I'm driving during the day, I've been noticing that my vision is kinda wavy or strobing. It almost looks like heat coming off of asphalt on a hot day or like lying on the bottom of a swimming pool looking up through the water. That is the best way I can describe it. The symptoms start immediately when I'm in bright light & can go on all day if I'm outside. Sometimes I get a headache, sometimes I don't. I didn't think my symptoms sound like a typical migraine. I seen a retinal opthamologist about it who said my eyes were fine, other than floaters & the fact I'm near sighted. He diagnosed opthalmic migraine & sent me home. I told my family doctor about it & he referred me to a local neurologist that I'm to see next week. I have chronic high BP & have been taking 100 mg of labetalol 2 X a day since I was 4 weeks pregnant. My BP has been fluctuating some, but not high. I haven't had protein in the urine at any of my OB visits so far either, not to mention the symptoms started around the first month of pregnancy. I told my OB about it, but he didn't know what was causing it. Can these kind of visual symptoms be common in pregnancy?? Any comments would be appreciated! Thanks...

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!  If I had a patient with your symptoms, there would be a couple of things I would want to rule out--the first being pre-eclampsia, which is a pregnancy associated blood pressure problem, and without high blood pressures or abnormal amounts of protein in your urine, you most likely DO NOT have that, still, I would probably check some blood work like a CBC, liver enzymes,and uric acid(this one is important to tell pre-eclampsia from hypertension) I would also tell her to get her eyes checked to rule out detachment of the retina or glaucoma (sounds like you've done that).
I HAVE seen visual changes +/- headaches very commonly in both complicated and uncomplicated pregnancies, and in several cases I have felt that the labetolol was contributing to the symptoms.  Watch and see if it worse with position changes such as getting up suddenly, etc. or with hunger symptoms. Positional LOW blood pressure and low blood sugar are more common with labetolol, and are common with just plain old pregnancy.
I think the neurologist is not a bad idea, but I would NOT recommend a CT scan to a patient of mine with your symptoms.  I would probably defer a spinal tap too, unless absolutely necessary,  If the neurologist feels you must have a study--I'd suggest an MRI--make sure they tip you to your left!
My best guess is that this is a non-serious albeit annoying side effect of your pregnancy/medication combination and is likely to get better when the baby is born.
Best Wishes!  Dr B

[Asitkumarsinha]

Hi sir/Madam
sir my wife is pregnant and she had passed 4 month.
we got a routine check report,
In report mentioned
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Placenta: Fundal anterior*  Grade 1*
It is low lying* Distance from os : 2.1 cms
****************************************
We are scare about low lying problem.
Its harmful for my wife and my child both and what we will takes precaution in future to avoid this problem.
Please sir we are so much scare.
please advice me what we do to avoid this problem.

Sir/Madam please reply me urgently.
On my mail id
***@****
***@****
Asit Sinha

[LPNGirl07]

Thanks so much doctor for your kind answer. It really put my mind at ease. : )