Welcome. My name is Ariana and I work as a medical assistant at an army base. My main job is to make sure that there are no hidden health risks for our seemingly fit army personnel. One of the biggest issues I uncover is eyesight problems. I have discovered that a lot of people think that there is no need to visit an optometrist unless their eyes are sore or vision is blurry. This myth can be found in the army too. In the course of my work, I have learnt that many eye problems have no symptoms for a long time. I am always encouraging family and friends to go for annual eye checks. I have become so passionate about this issue that I started this blog to explain how optometrists can help you keep the best vision possible. Please scan through my entries. Enjoy.
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Understanding The Symptoms And Treatment Approach For Cataracts 22 February 2023
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Why Does an Optometrist Blow Air into Your Eyes? 11 April 2022
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5 Signs Your Child May Need Cataract Surgery 7 June 2021
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Laser Eye Surgery Preparation Tips 28 October 2020
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3 Steps To Help Your Loved One Through Cataract Surgery 17 October 2019
Eye On The Target: How Optometrists Help Your Eye Health
What Happens When Your Optometrist Dilates Your Eyes? Here's What to Expect.
Akseli Takala
Whilst you're having a routine eye exam or preparing for a procedure, your optometrist may recommend eye dilation. Many people feel apprehensive about eye dilation because they don't know quite what to expect, but there's actually no reason at all to worry. Here's the information you need to have your eyes dilated—without stress!
The Eye Dilation Process
To dilate your eyes, your optometrist simply puts a few drops of a specialised solution in each eye. Eye dilation isn't painful, although you might feel a bit of a sting whilst the drops are absorbed into your eye. This passes quickly, however. You'll then relax in a darkened room for around half an hour. People with lighter colours of eyes tend to experience faster eye dilation than those with darker eyes, but it won't take more than 30 minutes in total to be ready for your exam.
The Eye Exam
Whilst your eyes are dilated, your optometrist has the opportunity to look at your retina much more closely than would otherwise be possible. Your optometrist can check for health problems such as:
- Glaucoma
- Macular degeneration
- Detached retina
Additionally, eye exams whilst the eyes are dilated can be useful in diagnosing the early signs of diabetes, high blood pressure and other serious health problems. Your eyes may be one of the first areas to reveal problems if you develop a condition like diabetes—and the sooner that this or any other disease is diagnosed, the better.
After Dilation
After your eyes are dilated, you'll be quite sensitive to light, and your vision is likely to be fuzzy. Your optometrist will provide you with a disposable pair of specialised sunglasses that you should wear until the dilating drops have worn off. Usually this happens within a few hours. You shouldn't drive whilst your eyes are dilated, so it's best to have a family member or a friend drive you home following your visit to the optometrist. By the end of the day, your vision will typically be back to normal, and you can return to all your usual activities.
As you can see, eye dilation is a simple and straightforward process that won't cause you any major inconvenience. It's a very important part of a thorough eye exam, and your optometrist can help you in the best way possible by doing eye dilations at your yearly exam. Call an optometrist to schedule your next visit today!
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