Can You Get LASIK While Pregnant?
Many women who are either currently pregnant or trying to become pregnant have questions regarding the safety of LASIK surgery. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) does not advise LASIK for pregnant women. However, the reason for this is generally not related to any risk from the surgery to your health or the baby’s health—it concerns your vision prescription.
Pregnancy causes increased hormone production as a woman’s body adapts to support the growth of her baby. Research demonstrates ocular changes during pregnancy and prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses often change while a woman is pregnant or breastfeeding. Many pregnant women experience swelling in their legs, feet, and face—but you may not realize that your corneas can also swell during pregnancy, changing in thickness and curvature. These changes can be temporary or permanent and would likely impact the outcome of your LASIK surgery.
Does Pregnancy Affect LASIK?
Because LASIK surgeons rely on a patient’s current and accurate vision prescription to achieve the highest quality of results, it would not be wise to perform laser eye surgery on a pregnant patient. While it is possible that the patient’s vision prescription might not change during pregnancy, it is also possible that it will change. And if the patient’s prescription changes again following pregnancy—reverting back to what it was pre-pregnancy—the patient’s LASIK results could change and need to be corrected with an additional eye surgery.
While it is safe to undergo LASIK surgery while you are trying to conceive, we recommend planning your LASIK surgery for before pregnancy or several months after your baby has been delivered. If you are interested in LASIK surgery and are ready to schedule your consultation, please reach out to our team. We are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the timing of your procedure around a current or future pregnancy.
