There you are sitting on the couch and you see stars floating around in your eyes. You blink a few times to get rid of the stars. Well, that was weird!
You quickly get on your computer and do one of the worst things a pregnant woman can do, type your question into Google. Of course, the worst possible things are popping up and you begin to panic. What does it mean to see stars while you are pregnant? Is seeing stars dangerous?
What Do We Mean By “Seeing Stars?”
Do you know that feeling when you stand up too quickly and you begin seeing spots and dots? Seeing stars is like that, but you didn’t stand up too quickly. Some may even refer to these types of stars as eye floaters.
Eye floaters are often due to age-related changes that happen when the vitreous (jelly like substance) within the eye become more liquid. When the microscopic fibers in the vitreous clump they can cause tiny shadows to be cast across the retina. These shadows are called floaters, or stars.
You will often notice that when you look at the floaters and try to focus in on them that will immediately dart away. Floaters can also appear in many forms such as stars, strings or cobwebs.
Why Do Pregnant Women Panic When They See Stars?
When pregnant women see stars they might immediately Google their symptoms and find nothing but scary information. They may come across some troubling information of the causes such as:
- Tears or holes on the retina
- Poorly controlled blood pressure
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Blood clots in the retinal blood vessels
- Viral infections in your eye
- Normal complications from eye surgery
- Autoimmune diseases like Lupus
- Ocular tumors
- High glucose levels
None of those sound very good and so pregnant women panic.
Are Stars While Pregnant Really Something To Panic About?
Your body changes so much while you are pregnant. It comes at no surprise that your vision is one of the many things that is affected by the hormones racing around.
In fact, with all three of my pregnancies I had to change my prescription, because it got worse with each child. Many women have been known to get worse vision after each pregnancy much like myself.
Stars do not automatically mean that you have a serious illness. If you have stars you shouldn’t instantly assume that you have high blood pressure, or have diabetes. I know it’s easy to go straight for the worst possibility, but it’s most likely nothing.
If you are really concerned about the stars and you are noticing them more frequently then you should certainly talk to your doctor. Never rely on a Google search to diagnose possible illnesses. Especially don’t Google twitching in your tummy or cramping. You will just scare yourself! Pregnancy and Google sometimes do not mix.
What To Do If You Are Seeing Stars While Pregnant?
The first thing that is suggested if you are seeing stars is to drink more water. There is a possibility that you are seeing floaters and stars because you are actually light headed.
Most people stated that simply becoming hydrated helped them to get rid of the stars. Try bringing around a water bottle with you to encourage you to drink more!
Second, you could try to take a nap. There might be a chance that you need to just rest your eyes. If your eyes are tired and are being strained then they may need to stay shut.
The third piece of advice was to take Tylenol. You may actually be suffering with a silent migraine that is possibly giving you the stars. The Tylenol should help with the migraine enough that it could help get rid of some of the symptoms which include the stars.
Obviously if you are still struggling with seeing stars then you should definitely contact your doctor. If the stars are the symptoms of a bigger problem then you certainly do not want to go too long without taking action.
Conclusion
Before you panic about the stars and floaters try to take a deep breath. It may not be as bad as you think. Try drinking more water, take a nap, or possibly take some Tylenol. I saw stars a few times when I was pregnant with all three of my children, but I have hypoglycemia (so we knew high glucose wasn’t an issue) and then I have been known to have low blood pressure.
As said previously, if you are legitimately concerned about seeing stars then you should contact your OBGYN right away and see if there is anything to be worried about with your vision during your pregnancy.
