Can you take Dexamethasone Ophthalmic while pregnant?
Last updated September 7, 2026.
**Usually yes: dexamethasone ophthalmic drops or ointment are commonly continued in pregnancy when an eye specialist decides you need them, because only a small amount of the steroid reaches the rest of your body.** The answer shifts with why you are using it and for how long. Short courses after eye surgery or for a flare of inflammation involve much lower exposure than steroid tablets taken daily for weeks. Untreated eye inflammation can damage vision, so stopping a prescribed drop on your own is riskier than using it as directed. Simple habits cut absorption further: use one drop per eye, close your eye gently, and press the inner corner near your nose for about a minute. Tell your obstetric clinician and your eye doctor about every eye product you use, including ones prescribed before you got pregnant.
What to do
- Keep the eye doctor in the loop: Confirm the plan with the prescriber who examined your eye rather than stopping the drop yourself.
- Use punctal occlusion: After each drop, close your eye and press the inner corner near your nose for about one minute to reduce how much reaches your bloodstream.
- One drop is enough: Extra drops run down your cheek instead of working, and they raise the amount you swallow through the tear duct.
- Stick to the taper: Finish or step down the course exactly as written, since abrupt stops can let inflammation rebound.
- Flag new symptoms fast: Call your eye doctor for eye pain, light sensitivity, discharge, halos, or blurred vision that gets worse on treatment.
- Share the full list: Tell your prenatal clinician about every eye product you use, including combination drops that contain an antibiotic.
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