Title

DOES PREGNANCY INFLUENCE EYE PARAMETERS? ASSESSMENT OF CHOROIDAL THICKNESS USING EDI-OCT BEFORE AND AFTER LABOUR DEPENDING ON THE WAY OF DELIVERY METHOD

Introduction

Pregnancy, being a special physiological condition of a woman's organism, is characterized by a variety of changes in many systems and organs. In recent years there has been a growing trend in research to investigate the influence of pregnancy and labour on the visual system. The aim of this study is to assess the choroidal thickness (CT) with use of EDI-OCT in patients before and after delivery depending on the type of delivery.

Methods

Design: Observational cohort study Methods: Setting: Our Institutional study was held in Medical University of Warsaw. Patient or Study Population: The study involved 146 eyes of 73 patients aged 20-34 years, after natural labor (66 eyes) and C-section (80 eyes). Main inclusion criteria: Informed consent to participate in the study, age 18-35 years, single pregnancy, spherical refraction error -4.00 to +4.00 D, no eye pathologies, no pregnancy complications, childbirth after 36 weeks of pregnancy, BCVA=1.0 Intervention or Observation Procedures: Patients were examined twice: in 36 WoG and on 6th week after the birth. All examinations were carried out between 8:00am and 10:00am in order to avoid daily cycle fluctuations. Main Outcome Measures: CT measurements were made manually by two independent researchers at: subfoveal and 500µm, 1000µm, 1500µm, 3000µm temporally and nasally.

Results

Results: In Caesarean section group CT changes were statistically significant in 7/9 of the analyzed areas (subfoveal, nasal:500,1000,1500,3000µm and temporal:500,1000µm. In group of women after natural labor, the results were statistically significant in 3/9 of the analyzed areas (nasal:500,1000 and 1500 µm).

Discussion

Conclusions: 1.At the end of childbirth, the thickness of the choroid increases in comparison to the third trimester of pregnancy. 2.Changes in the thickness of the choroid are particularly noticeable in women after Caesarean section. 3.A potential cause of this phenomenon are hormonal changes during pregnancy and after delivery.

Keywords

delivery, optical coherence tomography, choroid

Area

CLINICAL CASE

Authors

Karol Taradaj, Tomasz Ginda, Piotr Maciejewicz, Bożena Kociszewska-Najman, Barbara Suchońska, Mirosław Wielgoś, Dariusz Tadeusz Kęcik