The influence of pregnancy on the sensitivity of the cornea.

Corneal touch thresholds (CTT) were measured in 30 non-pregnant women serving as a control group and 29 pregnant women at different times during and after pregnancy. The results show that CTT becomes significantly higher after 31 weeks of pregnancy. However, only 86% of the subjects showed a difference in CTT during and after pregnancy, while 52% reported having some swelling. The loss of sensitivity (CTT-1) is assumed to be related to the water retention occurring during pregnancy, a view which is supported by some measurements of corneal thickness. It is suggested that this study may have exposed a new, hitherto unknown, way of monitoring pregnant women.