Diagnosis of Age-related Macular Degeneration

Dilating the pupils is a very common procedure during eye examinations. It is a totally painless process that allows the ophthalmologist to examine the fundus of your eye and determine the condition of your retina and optic nerve. It helps in the diagnosis of various eye diseases that may otherwise go unnoticed during early stages: macular degeneration, retinal detachment, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, etc.

The pupils are dilated by placing a few drops in the eye which act on muscles around the pupil, thus producing the dilation. These eye drops come in different types: some stimulate and others relax the iris muscles that dilate the pupil. Sometimes the ophthalmologist will use just one type of eye drop, and on other occasions they may combine different types, depending on the patient and the reason for dilating the pupil.

The drops may cause a slight itchiness just after they have been applied, but it is only temporary and will disappear shortly. You have to wait for 20 to 45 minutes after the drops have been instiled before your eyes dilate fully and the ophthalmologist can start the eye exam.

It is important for patients to take into account that the effects of dilation eye drops can last for several hours after the eye exam. Specifically, between 4 and 24 hours, or sometimes even more. This will depend on the type of drops used and each patient’s sensitivity. People are normally more sensitive to light and have blurred vision during this period in which the eye drops continue to have an effect. Although the effects will gradually disappear as the hours pass, patients are advised to wear sunglasses after receiving dilation eye drops and should be accompanied when they go to the eye exam. You must never drive after having your pupils dilated.

The effects of dilation eye drops last for longer in children than they do in adults. Similarly, blurred vision and sensitivity to light typically last longer in children than in adults.