dear donna,

of course this is not a joke; vision problems are annoying at the least and a
serious danger at worst. although i can't tell you any scientific/medical
stuff about this issue, here is my humble .02 worth (and about a few dollars'
worth more). as one who is nearsighted and has astigmatism, i have spent much
time in the office of my eye doctor over the years. if i mistakenly schedule
an eye exam at a time in my monthly cycle when i am carrying a little extra
water weight (a small amount hardly noticeable to me), my new contacts won't
be "right" when they arrive because your eyes will have a little edema too
(or this is what they tell me). so part of the time my vision is better than
others because my eyes change from day to day but unfortunately the
prescription is always the same.

perhaps during breastfeeding your prescription for lenses would be different
than if you were not lactating because of this or some other physical effect
caused by the differing hormonal levels. so it seems quite likely that your
vision might change "back"  (or forward) after weaning. but the correct
answer to the mother's specific question seems to me to be that by all means
she should get new glasses that give her the best vision possible, because
she should be planning to breastfeed for a long time.

 another common experience is that those who have vision problems find that
they must get a new prescription every so often; my husband can wear his
lenses for several years and my eyes seem to be changing more often than
ever, i am now at less than a year for the necessary update. this mother may
need to change her presciption after she weans, but she probably would have
needed to do so anyway.

this mother needs to be talking to a really good eye doctor. after all, she
needs to see the beauty of her baby with crystal clear vision.

carol b.