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Can You Go For LASIK If You Are Pregnant? Singaporean Ophthalmologists Explain Why It's Better To Wait

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Dr E-Shawn Goh

January 13th, 2019· 5 min read

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I just want to be prepared...

You’ve probably heard of LASIK surgery by now. It's a very popular elective procedure to improve vision. It can correct various issues such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia (ageing eye). [1]

While LASIK is a fairly fast and straightforward procedure, many women wonder if it's advisable to do it during or after pregnancy.

Experienced ophthalmologists and gynaecologists on the Human platform shared their professional advice with a Human reader who had just given birth. She intends to breastfeed and wanted to find out when's the best time to go for LASIK.

Here's what they had to say.

It's best to wait if you're breastfeeding

breastfeeding and LASIK singapore

Please be patient if you're breastfeeding! Dr E-Shawn Goh believes that it's best to delay any form of refractive surgery until at least 3-6 months postpartum and after completion of breastfeeding.

The optimal time to have LASIK surgery after pregnancy is…

Dr David Chan, an ophthalmologist, suggests that a general rule would be to wait out at least 2 menstrual cycles after breastfeeding and only provided the measured refractive errors after breastfeeding indicate stability.

Dr Jasmine Mohd, a gynaecologist, explained that as long as it’s been approximately a month after delivery, and all the pregnancy edema (swelling) has settled, it's alright to go ahead for LASIK.

Pregnancy hormones can negatively affect the procedure

Pregnancy hormones and LASIK singapore

Dr Por Yong Ming explains that hormonal changes during pregnancy or breastfeeding can affect the stability of your spectacle power. Thus, it might lead to a less accurate LASIK treatment.

Of course, the bigger risk is during pregnancy, but many ophthalmologists have concerns regarding the stability of spectacle power during breastfeeding as well. [2]

Medication is also another cause for concern

medication during pregnancy

Dr E-Shawn Goh also explained that medication used during and after the surgery itself will affect you. The systemic absorption of topical medications by the body may prove to be too low, which can lead to reduced effectiveness.

This can be quite dangerous for pregnant women who want to undergo LASIK surgery. [3]

Some processes during the operation could add to the issue

LASIK singapore

In fact, some manoeuvres by the doctor carrying out the procedure could further reduce the systemic absorption of the medication. This includes procedures like punctal occlusion (which doctors use to improve the symptoms of dry eye syndrome).

Take it slow!

Pregnancy is great and LASIK can be great too but this doesn't necessarily mean that you should experience them both at the same time.

Discuss your concerns with your ophthalmologist so that you can get your surgery performed at the soonest possible date but wait after your pregnancy, please.

Article medically reviewed by Dr David Chan, Dr Jasmine Mohd, Dr Por Yong Ming, and Dr E-Shawn Goh.

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Reference:

1. Laser Surgery Can Improve Vision Problems - Health Encyclopedia - University of Rochester Medical Center. Rochester.edu. Published 2020. Accessed January 7, 2020.

2. Laser Vision Correction: A Tutorial for Medical Students.; 2011. Accessed January 7, 2020.

3. Messmer JJ. LASIK: A Primer for Family Physicians. American Family Physician. 2010;81(1):42-47. Accessed January 7, 2020.

I hope that you've found this guide useful, and perhaps gained more insight into the application process. Most of the admissions-related information (admin and logistics wise) can be found on the official NUS Faculty of Dentistry website.

To help yourself out, you should take note of what people look for when they look for a dentist.

This article was written by Dr E-Shawn Goh and published on Wednesday, 25 January 2017. Human medically reviewed the article on Wednesday, 25 January 2017. The last update was made on Friday, 18 September 2020.

Disclaimer: Opinions belong to the author and not to the platform.

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