Why Lasik Is Not Right For Pregnant Women

With all the advanced technologies and systems in place, Lasik seems to be one of the safest procedures today, where you can easily get rid of your refractive error, and achieve freedom from your spectacles and contact lenses forever, in a matter of just ten minutes! Anyone who is above 18 years of age, having a stable eye number for at least 6 months, can undoubtedly go in for a Lasik surgery. It is the safest, quickest, and most successful procedure till date, having being productively executed on millions and billions of people. Moreover, it brings almost no risks, except for some temporary discomfort like redness, itchiness, and blurriness, which may subside within a few days.

The limitations of Lasik

In spite of being so safe and successful, just like anything else, Lasik also has limitations. There are certain limitations of the eyes and health that may restrict you from undergoing Lasik. This is why your surgeon will first analyze every important aspect of your body and eyes to identify if you are a right candidate for Lasik; only then will he move ahead with the procedure. So, whenever you are planning to undergo Lasik, make sure you first get your eyes and health checked thoroughly, and get approval. However, there is one condition, in which if you undergo Lasik, it may definitely create complications. The condition makes you a very inappropriate candidate for the surgery. And, the condition that we speak about here is pregnancy. If you are expecting a baby, or are in the breastfeeding phase, we would suggest you to stay away from the surgery. Here’s why.

What happens during pregnancy?

When you’re pregnant, your body undergoes tremendous hormonal changes that you can't even imagine! Speaking of the eyes, the various hormones like progesterone, estrogen, oxytocin, prolactin, relaxin, and human chorionic gonadotropin take on different roles to send signals to various parts of the body to nurture and protect the developing fetus. Some may affect the uterus, others may affect the immune system. Some help with developing the baby’s organs, while others may prepare your body for labour, delivery, and breastfeeding. With all these changes, you are sure to have problems like nausea, heartburn, blood pressure, and changes in the hair and skin. Similarly, in the eyes, hormones can cause decreased tear production, leading to dry eyes and irritation. On the other hand, the fluid buildup in your eyes may increase, which will change the curvature of the cornea and affect your vision, making blurred vision a very common issue during pregnancy.

Why is Lasik not advised during pregnancy?

Lasik changes the shape of your cornea forever. Before the surgery, the surgeon will take measurements of the cornea so that the laser-guided instrument used in the surgery can remove corneal tissue accordingly to improve your vision. But, you can't have a stable measurement during pregnancy, as the fluid buildup in the eyes can change the shape of your cornea. So, if you have Lasik during pregnancy, and then your eyes revert to their pre-pregnancy state, your Lasik results will be imperfect. Also, the dryness and itchiness in the eyes during pregnancy may make the surgery very dangerous for you. Moreover, with the surgery, you’ll be prescribed eye drops and medications, which will enter your bloodstream. These medications and drops are definitely not safe for the small baby living inside your womb! This is also one reason why you are suggested to keep away from Lasik during the breastfeeding stage too. You wouldn’t want the medications and eye drops that you take to be delivered to your little one through the milk he takes in, would you?

How long to wait for Lasik after getting pregnant?

You can see how all of the above can make Lasik a very complicated surgery for your body. This is why we would suggest that while you have waited for so long in life, you could wait a few months more. After you have stopped nursing, your eyes will revert back to normal, allowing surgeons to take proper measurements and ensure the most successful Lasik procedure for your eyes. So, if you are pregnant, we wish you all the luck for your new phase of life; and expect you to get in touch with Arohi Eye Hospital’s best Lasik specialist in Mumbai to get you freedom from your spectacles and contact lenses, soon after your baby learns to live without your milk!

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