The short explanation
Please take her to hospital now. A severe headache with blurred vision in late pregnancy can be a sign of severe pre-eclampsia, a condition of high blood pressure that can become dangerous for both mother and baby quickly. Rest at home is not the right response to these symptoms. At the hospital they will check her blood pressure, urine and blood tests, and monitor the baby. If pre-eclampsia is found, treatment can lower the risks, and sometimes the safest option is to deliver the baby early. Doctors decide this based on her condition and the baby's.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- Other warning signs include pain under the ribs on the right side, vomiting, sudden swelling of the face or hands, and feeling generally very unwell.
- Pre-eclampsia can develop even if earlier BP readings were normal.
- If you cannot reach a hospital quickly, call 112 for an ambulance; the 102 or 108 ambulance services also transport pregnant women in many states.
- Take her antenatal card and reports along.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This cannot tell you what is causing her symptoms. Only checking her blood pressure, urine and blood at the hospital can show that.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Is her blood pressure high, and is there protein in her urine?
- Is the baby being monitored and doing well?
- Does she need to stay in hospital or deliver early?
- What should we watch for after she goes home?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Emergency — call 112 now
- Call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department now: severe headache with blurred vision in pregnancy is an emergency. Call 112 immediately if she has a fit, becomes confused or has trouble breathing.
Get help the same day
- Get care the same day even if the headache eases, because the BP still needs checking.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- Pre-eclampsia NHS
- Prenatal care MedlinePlus (NIH)
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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