Free prescriptions?

[VFVF]

Can anyone help before I go to the optician looking like an idiot? During my last pregnancy my eyesight deteriorated quite a bit (in that I couldn't read things far away and white writing on screens was very blurred)

I just sort of put up with it, and when DD was born it recovered. Now I'm pregnant again the same thing seems to be happening again. As I'm a drive a lot I thought it would be sensible to have my eyes tested.

I've never had my eyes tested since I was a small child, and I'm not sure how
it works. Will my maternity exemption certificate cover the cost of an eye test? Or help towards the costs of glasses if I was to need them? I'm sorry if I sound stupid or grasping but I genuinley don't know how it works and I'm not keen on spending lots of money on what I'm hoping (like last time) will be a temporary condition!

Sorry, I should add that I am generally in good health with good Bp, and their doesn't seem to be an underlying sinister cause for this!

I don't know the answer I'm afraid but watching with interest as I was having this exact conversation with a friend the other day.

I'm almost certain that it doesn't. I'm pretty sure I remember paying for mine im afraid!

I think it might cover the eye test, but definitely not specs.

I am very shortsighted. In first pg my eyes got so much better I needed new glasses. As well as maternity clothes, I have maternity specs!

No it doesn't. I had my eyes tested a month ago and needed a new prescription. They said you don't get any benefits for eye care in pregnancy

However, if you work, worth finding out if your employer will reimburse you in any way. I ended up paying £25 for a pair of glasses worth £100 because of this

And that included the eye test, had to pay for that. In Specsavers FWIW.

VFVF, it sounds like you have what I had while I was pg. I'm lucky enough to live in a city with a big eye clinic at the hospital - I was diagnosed with pregnancy-induced-chorioretinopathy. Basically what happens is the excess fluid in your body while you're pg settles behind your eye(s) and pushes your retina forward, making your vision blurry. I lost three lines of the eye chart, which really pissed me off as my vision is usually perfect!
When you had your last baby, did it disappear pretty much as soon as you had her/him?
Go to your GP and ask for an ophthalmic referral. An eye test wouldn't do much tbh other than make you get expensive glasses you don't need - obviously if this is what is wrong with your sight.
That said, there's nothing the ophthalmology dept can do about it - there's no fix. I just had to wait it out (my second thought after waking up from my EMCS after "where's my baby?!" was "thank fuck, I can see again!!").

Thank you all for your replies!

likelucklove Unfortunately no benefits for me as I'm a SAHM, but thank you for the tip, will pass it on to my pregnant working friends

Jennifer Thank you, that does make sense. My eyesight did go rapidly back to normal after DD was born so it does sound like what I'm experiencing! I'm due to see the midwife next week so will ask her if she can refer me, otherwise will make a GP appt!

It's nice to know I'm not the only one! I don't know why on earth I put up with it last time, perhaps it's worse this time around?

"An eye test wouldn't do much tbh other than make you get expensive glasses you don't need"

OP said she drives a lot, she certainly does need glasses, if even only for a short time, as it is dangerous to both herself and other road users (especially small ones in uniform colours in the dusk) if she cannot see clearly.

SpecSavers or similar is probably the place for best VFM.

Agree with the other posters here. Doubt you'd get anything towards the cost of the glasses as they aren't covered by 'normal' prescription charges anyway iyswim. I'm v v v short sighted and you have to be to get any help towards the cost of the lenses (I get a magnificent £10 or something towards lenses that cost a couple of hundred for a -17 ish prescription). You might get a free eye test but I've not heard that before.

But I do agree that if you're driving, even if your vision is only impaired for the time you're pregnant, you should try to get it corrected. You could get the cheapest pair of glasses going, even if they're not that stylish, just for the purposes of driving. As another poster said with dark evenings you can't drive with bad eyesight, and you might find you're not covered properly on your car insurance if you're driving without having corrected your vision.

Good luck though, hope it all gets sorted :)

Just to say my eyes have also got much worse during pregnancy, hoping they go back to normal when the babies out and about.