Eye Dilation FAQs
- Do I Have To Have Your Eyes Dilated? No-While we recommend dilation of eyes for just about everybody we don’t require you to do it.
- My Last Optometrist Did Not Feel Like I Needed To Have My Eyes Dilated, Why Do You? Uncommon but very serious eye conditions like retinal detachments and melanomas inside the eye are very hard to detect without dilation of the eyes.
- I Feel Like I Don’t Have Any of Those Type of Things So I Can Just Skip it Right? Most serious eye problems inside the eye can’t be felt and don’t cause pain. Over 50% of your vision can be lost before it is “noticeable”.
- I Have To Drive Home So I Don’t Want My Eyes Dilated: If you are not comfortable driving when your eyes have been dilated we can always reschedule that part of the exam at a more convenient time for you!
- I am Pregnant, Should I Have My Eyes Dilated? That depends on if there are symptoms or risks for serious eye or health problems. Most of the time we recommend waiting until you are finished with nursing. The final choice is always yours.
- I Don’t Want My Eyes Dilated Because I Had a Really Bad Reaction Last Time: Many times people feel like light sensitivity or problems reading for a few hours is a bad reaction. This is a normal side effect. Bad reactions are feeling intoxicated, very nauseous, hives, problems breathing, altered thinking or moods, changes in heart rate, etc. Over 30 years and 40000+ patients we have seen only 2-3 cases like this.
- I Stayed Dilated All Day (Week) (Month) Last Time! Most people are back to normal in 3-4 hours. Some people do take all day. If you stayed dilated longer than this let us know. We can adjust the type, strength, and dosage to lessen the impact for you!
Dilation of Eyes For A Lifetime of Healthy Vision!
The choice is always yours but the recommendation is always ours to focus on prevention and healthy eyesight!
The Links Below Have More Information on Dilation of Eyes
How Long Do Eye Dilation Drops Last?
Comments 4
used to have recovery drops that hastened eyes coming out of dialation faster. why no more drops?
Author
Hi Lawrence,
The dilation reversal drops were taken off the market a few years ago. Evidently it was removed by tyhe manufacturer not the FDA. I believe the US market found it to be ineffective with red eyes as a side effect. That being said, a lot of people would like to see it come back. It has a fast track if someone wants to re-introduce it in the future.
Best Wishes
I had my eyes dilated today to have a film removed on my left eye. The film formed after I had cataract surgery. Now I have halos around lights and oncoming traffic. Will this go away? I have never had halo vision before.
Author
Hi Ginger,
It sounds like you had a capsulotomy. The halos are probably from the dilation more than the procedure. I would it expect them to go away when the dilation wears off. If not, get back in to see your doctor!
Best Wishes!