Children may return to school, and their teachers should be made aware that they may experience temporarily blurred vision while reading as their eyes are readjusting. These will help minimize glare and light sensitivity while your eyes return to normal. It’s always a good idea to bring a pair of sunglasses to your appointment if there is potential for dilation. Light sensitivity and blurred vision (especially for near tasks) may be noticed but both gradually disappear. Despite the longer duration, daily administration of the drop may be necessary for treatment to help with painful contractions of the pupil. These may have a longer duration of action, even up to two weeks. Finally, dilating drops are sometimes used to treat eye diseases such as amblyopia (lazy eye) and inflammation. Your optometrist will also use the drops to help measure for your correct prescription as well.ĭilating eye drops usually last from four to six hours depending on the strength of the drop and the patient, dilation tends to last longer in people with lighter color eyes. At times a stronger dilation is used on children to help gently paralyze the tiny muscles that focus the eyes to help determine the correct prescription. After surgery, the drops can be used to keep your eyes “relaxed” and the pupil wide so that scar tissue doesn’t form. Some types of eye surgeries also require dilating drops to help your surgeon see inside to your retina and optic nerves. “We are much better able to assess for retinal disease such as choroidal melanoma or retinal holes and tears, which may be asymptomatic in early stages.” “I always tell my patients that trying to assess their ocular health through an un-dilated pupil is like looking through a keyhole into a room, while looking though a dilated pupil is like looking through a wide open door,” Says Nicole Klein, OD at The Eye Center at Southwest Health. However, it is not always necessary to dilate more than once every one to two years unless instructed by your doctor.
People with light colored (blue, green, hazel) eyes will dilate faster than people with darker (brown) eyes.Ī large pupil allows the doctor to examine the inside of the eye in order to diagnose and treat eye diseases. Once the drops are put into your eyes it usually takes 20 to 30 minutes for your eyes to fully dilate. By preventing the pupil from adjusting for focus (called accommodation).By stimulating the muscle that makes the iris (the colored part of the eye) widen or.
By temporarily and gently paralyzing the muscle that makes the pupil smaller.According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the drops work in one of three ways:
Having them medically dilated simply helps us re-create what your body does on its own.ĭilating eye drops (called mydriatics) contain medication to enlarge or dilate the pupil. In fact, our eyes naturally dilate on their own throughout the day as they adjust to changing light, stimulation, and even our changing emotions. It’s only temporary, and there are no lasting side effects. Sometimes the uncertainty of the situation gives us pause and we may hesitate to say “yes.” The good news is it’s not that bad. If you’ve ever had an eye exam you’ve probably been asked if you would mind having your eyes dilated. By Jen Hanten, Tammy Menning, Erin Eckerman and Erin Averkamp, Opthalmic Assistants at The Eye Center at Southwest Health.
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