Do Your Eyes Need an Exam?

Interactive screening tool for ocular assessment (includes pregnancy-specific assessments)

Many medical conditions, medications, and life stages affect your eyes in ways you may not notice until damage has occurred. Pregnancy, diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune disease, and certain medications can all change the tear film, cornea, intraocular pressure, retina, and choroid.

This tool helps determine whether you need an eye examination based on your medical history, current conditions, and any visual symptoms you may be experiencing.

What this tool does: Collects information about pregnancy status (if applicable), pre-existing conditions, relevant medical history, and current visual symptoms. Generates a personalized assessment with referral recommendations, urgency level, and guidance on what to watch for.

Evidence Base

Publications supporting this screening tool

Primary Source

Grunebaum A. Pregnancy and the Eyes: A Blind Spot in Obstetrics. Clinical Opinion. 2026.
Provides the screening framework, referral criteria (Table 2), trimester protocol (Table 3), and ocular changes timeline (Table 4) used in this tool.

Key Reviews & Data Sources

Nguyen BN, Britten-Jones AC, Bui BV, Walker LE, Titter P. Physiological and pathological changes to the eye and vision during and after pregnancy. Clin Exp Optom. 2025;108(1):5-13.
Comprehensive review of trimester-by-trimester ocular changes (Table 4 source).
Soullane S, Rheaume MA, Auger N. Preeclampsia and the Retina. Curr Hypertens Rep. 2024;26(4):169-174.
Visual disturbances in 25% of preeclamptic women; long-term retinal risk data.
Timtim JC, Ittiara S, Garg I, et al. Progression, treatment, and outcomes of retinal vascular diseases in pregnancy. Retina. 2025;45(2):176-184.
Multicenter series (209 pregnancies): 54% preterm birth, 78% cesarean with retinal vascular disease.
Kitmiridou D, Wright A, Sherrell H, et al. Retinal imaging in pre-eclamptic pregnancy: systematic review. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2026;67(1):14-26.
24 studies on retinal imaging for preeclampsia prediction.

Guidelines

ACOG. Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia. Practice Bulletin No. 222. Obstet Gynecol. 2020;135(6):e237-e260.
Visual disturbance as severe feature criterion; no routine screening recommended.
ADA. Management of Diabetes in Pregnancy: Standards of Care 2025. Diabetes Care. 2025;48(Suppl 1):S306-S320.
Trimester-by-trimester surveillance for pre-existing diabetic retinopathy.
AAO. Comprehensive Adult Medical Eye Evaluation. Preferred Practice Pattern. 2026.
2026 update removed prior exemption of gestational diabetes from eye examination.

1. Current Status

Select the option that best describes your current situation.

Not Pregnant

General screening

Preconception

Planning pregnancy

First Trimester

0 - 12 weeks

Second Trimester

13 - 27 weeks

Third Trimester

28 - 40 weeks

Postpartum

After delivery

2. Pre-existing Conditions

Check all that apply to this patient.

3. Obstetric History & Exposures

Check all that apply.

Prior preeclampsia or eclampsia Prior HELLP syndrome Current fertility medications (clomiphene, gonadotropins) Multiple gestation Prior retinal detachment or retinal surgery Prior central serous chorioretinopathy Morbid obesity (BMI >= 40 kg/m2) Thrombophilia or prior thromboembolic event None of the above

4. Current Visual Symptoms

Ask the patient and check any reported symptoms.

Screening Question 1

"Have you noticed any change in your vision since becoming pregnant?"

Screening Question 2

"Do you have a history of diabetes, high blood pressure, or any known eye condition?"

⚠

Urgent symptoms detected. In the context of hypertension or proteinuria, any of these visual complaints warrants same-day ophthalmologic evaluation.

Your Results

Clinical decision support tool. Does not replace clinical judgment.
Source: Grunebaum A. Pregnancy and the Eyes (2026) | Nguyen et al. Clin Exp Optom 2025 | Timtim et al. Retina 2025
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