LASIK Eye Surgery and Pregnancy
LASIK surgery is not recommended for those who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Hormonal changes in the eyes during pregnancy can make your outcomes less predictable and affect healing times. The team at Ophthalmology Physicians & Surgeons, PC in Philadelphia, PA, is dedicated to providing exceptional care and maintaining your safety. We invite you to learn more about why LASIK eye surgery and pregnancy are incompatible.
Why Pregnant Woman Should Avoid LASIK
In order for LASIK to be effective and offer long-term results, a woman’s vision must be stable. When a woman is pregnant, her body goes through a number of significant physical and hormonal changes. This causes instability in vision, typically swinging to nearsightedness. Hormones can cause your eyes to be itchy, red, and highly sensitive to light. If your cornea swells even the slightest due to itching, it can decrease your tear production, leaving your eyes dry and uncomfortable.
Dilating eye drops, anesthetic eye drops, steroids, and other pain reducing medications will be given to the patient prior to surgery and during recovery. It is best to avoid these medications in the interest of protecting the developing fetus. In addition, there is always a risk of complications such as preterm labor that can happen during any type of surgery. During pregnancy, the body needs to focus on maintaining its own health and that of the child, not using its energy to heal and recover.
At Ophthalmology Physicians & Surgeons, PC, we want to ensure your surgery is a success and that you are fully satisfied with the results. Waiting until your vision stabilizes is essential before undergoing any corrective surgery.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, now is not the time to undergo LASIK, but we would be glad to meet you and begin discussing how we can help you improve your vision when the time is right.
Why Nursing Women Should Avoid LASIK
Following a woman’s pregnancy and subsequent breastfeeding, hormones will take time to return to normal levels. As the hormones stabilize after nursing ends, so will the mother's vision.
How Long Should You Wait Following Pregnancy and Breastfeeding?
It is imperative that your hormones are level and that your eyesight has stabilized before pursuing LASIK. Generally, we ask patients to go through at least two menstrual cycles after giving birth or stopping nursing before meeting with us about LASIK candidacy. You can depend on us to conduct thorough screenings in order to make absolutely certain that you can safely undergo LASIK and experience the long-term benefits you deserve.
Contact Us Today
If you have any questions about your vision enhancement options, please contact us online or give us a call at 215-794-4550. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, now is not the time to undergo LASIK, but we would be glad to meet you and begin discussing how we can help you improve your vision when the time is right.
