Perfect Vision is Not Possible during Pregnancy

Obie Editorial Team

When my sister in law was pregnant late last year, we were surprised when she came over wearing her old prescription glasses from high school. Though they were stylish in their heyday, we had only ever seen her wear them to see the blackboard or drive around before she got contacts later in life. She explained that her eyesight changed in her second trimester and her contacts were too strong while her regular vision was too blurry. The old glasses were the perfect balance. She had checked with her doctor and the problem is extremely common. Along with every other part of your body, your eyes might swell slightly when the pregnancy hormones are at their peak. Even a slight swelling could drastically throw off your eyesight.

While you’re pregnant, it makes sense if you want to pull out your old glasses or maybe even leave your regular prescription aside until the hormones calm down. However, experts all agree that laser eye surgery during pregnancy is a very bad idea. Even if you’ve had the surgery planned for a year and your pregnancy happens to fall on the date, reschedule. For the eye surgery to work properly, your eyes need to be in their regular state. By getting laser eye surgery during pregnancy, doctors could be correcting your eyes as they are in their swollen state, which will be a major waste of your precious time and money.

Worse yet, they will need to use eye drops and a light sedative that, while used only minimally, have not been approved as a safe chemical for a developing fetus. Rather than take the chance, let your surgeon know right away if a sudden or unexpected pregnancy will interfere with your laser eye correction. You also shouldn’t get your surgery immediately after pregnancy because the hormones will still be in your body. Wait a few weeks before rescheduling.

Though the thought of perfect vision as while entering motherhood for the first time is appealing, laser eye surgery is not something you should have during pregnancy. It would be perfectly safe for your growing baby, but it would be a waste of time on your temporarily altered vision as a result of pregnancy hormones. Wait it out. Once you get used to caring for a needy infant with bad eyesight, caring for him with your new laser corrected eyes will be a breeze.

Source: MJ Lopez-Prats et al: Influence of Pregnancy on Refractive Parameters After LASIK Surgery Volume 87 Issue 6 pp. 173-178 2012