Should Lasik Be Postponed Until After Pregnancy
It is typically recommended that you avoid LASIK when you are pregnant. If you have this surgery when you are pregnant, the eye changes that can occur during pregnancy could cause the shape of your eye to be improperly changed. Once the pregnancy eye changes subside, you may have noticeable vision problems that may require additional surgery or other treatments to correct.
How long you need to wait to have LASIK after pregnancy is a common debate. Some doctors recommend six months after pregnancy and breastfeeding. Other doctors say you should have at least two menstrual cycles following your pregnancy before you consider LASIK.
How Soon After Lasik Surgery Can You Get Pregnant
However, it is suggested that you wait 2 to 6 months after your LASIK surgery to get pregnant, if possible. There are multiple reasons for this. The first is that pregnancy hormones can drastically affect eyesight in around 10% of LASIK patients. A common pregnancy symptom is swelling, which is typically noticed in the legs, face, and feet.
Limit Time Spent Playing Video Games
Playing video games for a little while is fine. But engaging in marathon sessions can lead to eye fatigue, blurred vision and headaches. Limiting your computer and TV screen exposure can help prevent these injuries and the physical discomfort they cause.
When playing games, take regular breaks every 20-30 minutes. This will help the eyes rest.
Similarly, sit back from the screen a minimum of two feet for computer screens and six feet for television screens. If you play games on a mobile phone, one foot is sufficient distance.
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Can Women Who Are Pregnant Or Nursing Have Lasik
LASIK surgery is a common procedure, which does not require the patient to be put under anesthesia or stay in a hospital. Although LASIK eye surgery is a popular outpatient procedure there are some restrictions and not everyone who desires LASIK surgery is a candidate for the procedure. Women who are pregnant or nursing are not candidates for LASIK eye surgery.
There are several reasons why pregnant women or nursing moms are not eligible for LASIK surgery. Beyond considering the health of the baby, having LASIK surgery while pregnant or nursing would not give women the desired results.
How Long Should I Wait To Have Laser Eye Surgery After Pregnancy
When patients ask us about laser eye surgery and pregnancy, our usual advice is to wait until three months after the birth, or if you breastfeed your baby, three months after you have finished breastfeeding.
That being said, you may feel that now is the right time for vision correction. Perhaps you have not experienced any fluctuations in your prescription during your pregnancy, or you plan to breastfeed for an extended period and dont want to wait that long for perfect vision.
Everyone is different, so the best course of action is to contact us to discuss your own individual circumstances.
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Is Lasik Safe When Pregnant Or Breastfeeding
Davis Vision would like to congratulate you on your pregnancy! Growing your family is a joyous occasion, as is new motherhood. LASIK is exciting for qualified candidates who require corrective surgery for their nearsightedness, farsightedness, and their astigmatisms. One of our frequently asked questions is, Do LASIK and maternity mix? We recommend you consult your doctor prior to treatment. Here is some information to help you on your way:
Are There Age Limits For Lasik
In order to ensure that it is the right time for you to get LASIK, you can use the following set of guidelines: Your eyeglass or contact prescription has been stable for at least 12 months. You and your eyes are in good health. You are at least 18 but preferably in your mid-20s or older. You do not have any cloudiness in your eyes or suffer from cataracts, glaucoma, or excessive dry eyes.
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Can Pregnancy Affect Your Lasik Results
Although pregnancy hormones can cause temporary vision changes in women who received LASIK before getting pregnant, vision usually returns to post-LASIK levels after the hormones stabilize. A 2020 study of LASIK recipients published in the Journal of Refractive Surgery found no meaningful changes in the eye’s ability to bend and focus light, or in the cornea’s stability and thickness, a year after pregnancy.
âIt is important to note that eye prescriptions almost always return to their pre-pregnancy state after delivery,â says Parkhurst. âSo you don’t have to wait until you’re finished having babies it is okay to have laser vision correction now, just not while you’re actually pregnant.â
Should You Get Lasik During Pregnancy Or Nursing
But the crucial question here is whether or not you should. Theres a period of time through pregnancy and nursing where most of the medical world agrees you shouldnt. The reason may not be the one you think. The idea that prescriptions change when pregnant or nursing and stay changed after is really overblown. There are changes to vision just like there are changes to just about every other organ system, but in the overwhelming majority of cases, it is temporary. Those changes are waves under a ship and not a change in course. A more familiar comparison would be the rarity of gestational diabetes. Because even though it is rare, it is vastly more unlikely for someone to remain diabetic after pregnancy. The same general idea applies to glasses prescriptions. LASIK, though, should wait till after having a child for a different reason.
The drops you get during a dilated exam, as well as the drops you use for a week after LASIK, all fall into the same category of risk to babies. We are positive it isnt known to cause problems, but we dont know that it definitely cant. For that reason, we never risk it. Even if the odds of causing a problem for your baby could be zero, we dont have a way to know it as a certainty. Since the downside is waiting a year to have LASIK, it seems like relatively small amount of inconvenience to have peace of mind about somethingor more accurately, someoneof exceedingly greater importance.
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Does Pregnancy Impact Lasik Results
When you are pregnant, your body experiences hormonal changes. These changes may affect your eyes and how they heal following LASIK, making the outcome of this procedure more unpredictable.
The following eye changes may occur during pregnancy:
- Corneal changes: In most cases, the corneal changes associated with pregnancy are due to water retention. This could increase corneal curvature and thickness, and decrease corneal sensitivity. Since this could produce temporary refraction changes, LASIK and other refractive surgeries may be contraindicated until the cornea returns to its pre-pregnancy state.
- Dry eyes: Pregnant women may experience dry eye. This is due to temporary issues affecting the lacrimal acinar cells.
- Ptosis: During pregnancy, your eyelid may droop. This can also occur following birth. In most cases, only one eye is affected.
- Intraocular pressure changes: If your eyes are otherwise healthy, your intraocular pressure may decrease during pregnancy. Within about two months of giving birth, the pressure usually returns to what it was before you were pregnant.
Refractive changes can also occur during pregnancy. These may cause you to need a different strength for your corrective lenses. The changes are typically temporary. However, they could make it difficult for the doctor to perform LASIK since your true level of refractive error will not be present.
Why Lasik Needs To Be Delayed Because Of Pregnancy
Since LASIK is a vision correction surgery, its important that a persons vision be normal when the correction is performed. As such, its not recommended for women who are pregnant. Since their vision is altered during to hormonal changes, the results of LASIK surgery performed during pregnancy would not be particularly good, increasing the risk of overcorrection or undercorrection.
In addition, medicated eyedrops are administered during the procedure and in many cases issued as part of early post-operative care. If a woman is carrying a child to term, wed rather not risk possible complications to the childs development as a result of any medications needed during LASIK. Better safe than sorry.
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Can I Have Laser Eye Surgery When Pregnant
Laser eye surgery is one of the safest elective surgeries in the world. The results of patients who are treated are outstanding and at Optical Express we’re extremely proud to report that after undergoing treatment, over 99% of our patients enjoy 20|20 vision or better.
But what if you’re pregnant or planning on having a baby? Is it advisable to go ahead and get treatment?
Clinical Services Director at Optical Express, Stephen Hannan, says there are a few risk factors to consider.
“When pregnant, a woman’s body goes through significant changes that can affect the eyes. Fluctuating changes in hormones, metabolism, fluid retention, and blood circulation can all cause changes to your vision . The onset of gestational diabetes can also cause changes to the eyes. Continuously shifting blood sugar levels can cause the lens of the eye to swell and can result in blurred vision.”
He added that there was no way of knowing if any changes to the eyes will be temporary or remain the same after giving birth, so it would be best to wait a year or so afterwards.
“This will allow hormones to return to their pre-pregnancy levels and you’ll be able to gauge whether any changes that affected you during pregnancy linger.”
Understanding Lasik And Pregnancy
When you undergo LASIK surgery, the laser reshapes your cornea. This is what changes your prescription and allows you to see more clearly.
During surgery, your eye doctor creates a small flap on your cornea. The laser reshapes the inside of your cornea, then the doctor replaces the flap and your surgery is complete.
Because the shape of your cornea is so important, you want to have the surgery when your vision is stable. This is not possible during pregnancy common pregnancy hormones actually cause fluctuations in your vision!
Common LASIK side effects may become more exaggerated with pregnancy. And, while the surgery itself doesnt affect anything but your eyes, the medication used during and after LASIK may not be safe for unborn babies.
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Will Pregnancy Change My Lasik Result
Im 30 and have a consult for Lasik. My vision is -1.0 AND -2.25. if I get pregnant again is there a possibility it will ruin my results? I heard pregnancy can change your vision. Im not planning on any more children soon. Second question is usually with my slight prescription is the newer Custom LASIK, Custom PRK or Custom All-Laser LASIK a good choice or would regular lasiks most likely be enough? Thank you in advanced for your answers 🙂
Potential Medical Complications During Pregnancy
Pregnancy can also lead to vision changes by inducing development or worsening of medical conditions such as diabetes and pre-clampsia . These conditions need to be carefully managed to prevent long term damages to the eyes, which would also be another reason to defer LASIK during pregnancy and/or nursing.
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Everything You Should Know About Lasik Surgery And Pregnancy
When you decide to start a family, it comes with a lot of responsibilities including one that you have towards your body. While pregnant, certain activities should be avoided according to doctors. If youre considering getting a LASIK surgery during the period, it is recommended that the decision should be delayed for some time to ensure a healthy pregnancy.
LASIK short for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis is a refractive surgery that is performed to correct some eye conditions including myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. The procedure involves reshaping the cornea which lets light entering the eye to be properly focused on retina so that your vision improves.
The surgery consists of a short procedure that lasts 15 minutes for both eyes and enables you to have clearer vision without the usage of spectacles or contact lenses. The patient will start feeling improvement over the course of a few days as the vision continues to stabilize after the surgery
This surgery is one of the safest eye procedures in the world with minimum or no side-effects and complications. The patient does not have to be put under anesthesia during the procedure and to get the best post-surgery results, they should have a stable prescription. There are many health concerns for women who are pregnant.
How Soon Can I Get Pregnant After Lasik Surgery
Although LASIK isnt typically recommended during pregnancy, it can be performed prior to pregnancy. There is no need for an extended delay after LASIK before pursuing pregnancy. Dry eye can occur in some pregnant women. We recommend waiting until youre healed from your procedure, usually a month or two after surgery, to ensure that dry eye wont affect your LASIK results.
Some women experience eye changes during pregnancy. This can cause your vision to change temporarily, even after LASIK. Some women will need to use glasses during their pregnancy. After your hormone levels return to their normal state, your clear post-LASIK vision should return. A touch-up may be needed in some circumstances.
Many women are delighted that they received LASIK before pregnancy. Contacts can be difficult to wear during pregnancy because of dry eyes. LASIK can help you improve your vision without the need for glasses or contacts and many women enjoy clear vision throughout their pregnancies because of LASIK surgery.
Learn more about LASIK by coming into our Salem, OR or Vancouver, WA offices for a LASIK consultation. Schedule yours by calling .
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Can You Have Lasik Eye Surgery While Pregnant
Refractive surgeons advise against undergoing LASIK while pregnant.
Hormones in the female body change during and after pregnancy. This can make LASIK results vary and also alter the healing process following the procedure.
The developing baby absorbs nutrients through the mother, and because of this, the medications that accompany LASIK are potentially harmful. Patients are given a mild sedative to relieve anxiety on the day of their surgery and following the surgery are told to take an antibiotic and steroidal eye drops. Although there is no definitive answer as to whether or not these are harmful, the effects are not fully known and the risk is not worth it.
A side effect of pregnancy can be dry eyes. Do not be alarmed, this is common. As a result, wearing contact lenses can become very uncomfortable and potentially dangerous. To help alleviate the discomfort, it is recommended that you update your eyeglass prescription prior to becoming pregnant. This way, you will have a fallback if your contacts should become unwearable.
Another benefit of the pre-pregnancy eye exam is that it will provide a baseline for your refractive surgeon. After your pregnancy, the surgeon will test to see how stable your refractive issue is and be able to provide the perfect amount of correction.
Medications During And After Lasik
LASIK patients often will receive a mild sedative, such as a low-dose Percocet or Valium, prior to the LASIK to enhance patient comfort during the short procedure. Its recommended for pregnant women to avoid taking such medications when not medically necessary. In addition, LASIK patients are typically given two medication eye drops to use during first week after treatment one to prevent eye infections and the other to reduce inflammation . The exact effects of these eye medications on pregnant women and fetus are either unknown or not well-established.
Unlike the oral sedative that can be optional, the two eye drops are mandatory standard of care treatments. Thus, deferring LASIK for pregnant women can ensure best LASIK results as well as avoid impacting the health of mothers and their babies
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Although Lasik Is Safe Women Might Want To Opt Out Of Powerful Painkillers Prescribed
As already stated, the laser surgery does not affect the babys health in any way. However, LASIK patients are prescribed a multitude of eye drops and medications to assist in their recovery, and not all of these have been approved for use by pregnant women.
Additionally, prescriptions for powerful narcotics and benzodiazepines are frequently employed for patient use after surgery, and none of these are safe for use by pregnant women.
It is recommended that pregnant women wait for at least one menstrual cycle after giving birth prior to seeking LASIK surgery. This ensures that hormonal changes to the eyes are reduced, making for more stable assessments and improved LASIK results.
For more information about LASIK and the best option for your case, give us a call or read through some of our other blogs to get more information on the LASIK process and what it means for you.
Pregnancy And The Eyes
Pregnancy is a time of major change for the body and that includes the eyes. Water retention can cause the cornea to change shape, leading to minor changes in your vision. Hormones can also affect your vision. During pregnancy, dry eye and visual disturbances are more common.
These side effects of pregnancy typically go away shortly after delivery when hormone levels revert to their pre-pregnancy state. If you plan to breastfeed, vision changes may linger until the baby is weaned.
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