Laser vision correction and pregnancy

Can I undergo laser vision correction during pregnancy? Can I have natural labour following the procedure? Is it possible to have laser vision correction when I still breastfeed? These are questions which are often asked by women who consider both laser vision correction and pregnancy in the near future. What is it like in reality?

Everything depends on the time when you plan to undergo the procedure and the time you plan to get pregnant. You do not have to forgo laser vision correction while planning a pregnancy or vice versa. You need to bear in mind, however, that it is not possible to do both things at the same time, since pregnancy and breastfeeding are listed as contraindications to laser vision correction. What is important is that in contrast to other contraindications pregnancy does not disqualify you from the procedure permanently but only temporarily.

During pregnancy and breastfeeding hormonal balance in the woman’s body changes significantly. You must have heard about the so-called hormone havoc which pregnant women suffer from or you might have even experienced it yourself. During that period vision defect may fluctuate, and therefore the qualifying preliminary examination results may not be reliable. Moreover, raging hormones may negatively affect the healing process of the cornea after the procedure. That is why it is recommendable to postpone laser vision correction until approximately six months after the labour or termination of breastfeeding, as this is a suitable time for the hormones to stabilise so that the hormonal balance from the time before pregnancy can be restored.

If you are currently considering laser vision correction, and in the future you are planning to become a mum and have natural childbirth, you should know that after the procedure it is absolutely possible. Before labour it is necessary to undergo a specialist examination of the eye fundus and prospectively a special therapeutic training strengthening the retina. The decision regarding obstetric care should be made carefully, with numerous factors taken into consideration, including the condition of the eye tissue structures. These problems are not directly related to laser vision correction, which gives a geometrically correct form to the middle layers of the transparent, protective surface of the eye, i.d. the cornea. High degree shortsightedness or farsightedness are often accompanied by retinal pathologies, these two problems being in direct statistical correlation with each other (usually the higher the degree of refractive anomaly the more severe the retinal pathology). Excessive physical exertion during normal physiological labour or complicated labour may dramatically worsen the condition of the retina, even up to the point of retinal detachment. Laser vision correction does not affect the existing changes of the eye fundus or the condition of the retina, but only alters the shape of the cornea.

If you have recently become pregnant, taken a sick leave, and decided that you have finally enough time to undergo laser vision correction – we need to inform you that you will have to wait until it is safe to perform the procedure and that you do not need much free time at all. Both the qualifying preliminary examination and the procedure itself are conducted on the same day – hence the term one-day procedure. It takes relatively short time to recover after laser vision correction, especially if you think of the benefits you gain for the rest of your life. Therefore, you should wait a few months after childbirth and breastfeeding and then make an appointment for the qualifying examination.

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