Dilating the eyes means making the pupil “bigger” in order to allow the doctor to see more of the inside of the eye. Think of it this way – Your eye is small, round and very dark inside with a hole for viewing called the Pupil. However, when you use a bright light to try and see in that dark hole, the hole (pupil) gets smaller, so it is harder to see as much as the doctor would want to see to be comfortable in knowing most of the inside of the eye is healthy.
Dilation drops typically take 2-3 hours to wear off, and affect near vision (reading vision) more than far vision. However, dilation can cause general blurriness and light sensitivity so be careful when driving a car. If you work in a near intensive job (computers, accounting, attorney etc) you might want to schedule your dilated eye exam for later in the day as it will affect your ability to see at near.
Courtesy of the Doctors at Shady Grove Eye and Vision Care; Optometrists, Ophthalmologists and Opticians serving Rockville, Gaithersburg andPotomac Maryland suburbs of Washington DC for over 40 years.
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Written by Dr. Mahtab Vaziri, Optometrist, Shady Grove Eye and Vision Care
About the Author: Dr. Alan Glazier is founder and CEO of Shady Grove Eye and Vision Care. Dr. Glazier is a graduate of the University of Maryland and The New England College of Optometry. Dr.Glazier is inventor on 4 issued and 9 pending patents in ophthalmology and computer science. He is founderand CEO of Vision Solutions Technologies, a company formed to forward his invention LiquiLens which restores reading vision to people blinded from macular degeneration. Dr. Glazier is a sought-after industry lecturer and consultant, author of two books and professional blogger. Dr. Glazier is founder of “ODs on facebook”, theindustries largest and most active social media group and founder of the Networked Eye Care Alliance, a conglomeration of well-trafficked social media industry groups. In 2011 and 2012, Dr. Glazier was selected as one of the most influential optometrists in the US by the VisionMonday organization.