LASIK Results Stable After Pregnanacy

After pregnancy, vision did not change in women who previously had undergone LASIK laser eye surgery according to a new study. The study, led by Ioanna Kontari, MD, was one of the few studies to look at this issue. Previous studies of women who never had undergone LASIK showed that during pregnancy there was a temporary increase in corneal thickness, an increase in dry eyes, an increase in contact lens intolerance, and a lowering of pressure inside the eye. Most changes were noted in the second and third trimesters. In this study, Dr. Kontari followed 61 women who had already undergone LASIK for myopia (nearsightedness) and/or astigmatism and who became pregnant after surgery. The average age of women in the study was 28 years old and the women were followed for an average of 55 months. Dr. Kontari found that while there were some temporary corneal curvature changes during the third trimester, vision in these LASIK patients remained the same as before pregnancy for the duration of the study after pregnancy. Dr. Kontari concluded, “This study revealed that pregnancy does not appear to affect long-term post-LASIK refractive stability. No significant changes were noted in pregnancy compared to prior in any of the studies.” I think this is a very important study given the limited amount of research done in this area previously. A larger study would help confirm these results.

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