Laser vision correction is not allowed during pregnancy and breastfeeding. During this period, a future mother's body undergoes physiological changes that also affect vision. Hormonal changes in the body can cause swelling, and not only of the legs or hands. The cornea can also become swollen, which leads to a short-term change in vision. After childbirth, visual function usually returns to its original state.
Laser correction at the stage of pregnancy planning is allowed. Ophthalmologists advise having the procedure at least 3 months before the intended conception. If a woman is not sure whether she is pregnant or not, then before laser correction she needs to take a blood test for hCG – this test will reliably show whether pregnancy is present.
The idea that corrected vision will worsen again after childbirth is a myth. Laser correction affects only the cornea and does not involve the internal structures, such as the retina. Also false is the claim that after laser correction a woman's reproductive function may be impaired. There is no evidence-based scientific data to support this. It bears repeating that this surgery affects only the upper layer of the cornea and does not in any way influence the internal organs and systems.
After childbirth, specialists advise women to refrain from laser correction until the end of the breastfeeding period. If young mothers, for various reasons, do not breastfeed, they can come for surgery in six months to a year. By this time, the hormonal balance usually normalizes, which means that the results of the operation and the recovery period will be stable.
