A pregnant woman

Can I have laser eye surgery if I’m pregnant or breastfeeding?

There is no clinically proven risk associated with laser eye surgery during pregnancy or breastfeeding and, indeed, some patients have had laser eye surgery perfectly successfully while unwittingly being pregnant!

However, as laser eye surgery is a purely elective procedure, it is not advisable to undergo the treatment in these circumstances.

There is a theoretical risk of the medication in the eye-drops, which are used for a few weeks at around the time of the surgery, crossing the placenta or being passed on to the baby via breast milk. This has never been proven or recorded in the medical literature, but patients are advised to wait until they have had the baby and have finished breastfeeding.

Gartry, David

Written by

Professor David Gartry

Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon

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