Dilated examinations

Dilated Examinations

Often we are asked by patients making appointments, “Will I be able to drive home afterwards?” These patients are referring to the effect of having their pupils dilated for eye examinations. Periodically, a dilated eye examination is a valuable thing to have done. This is because pupils (the “holes” in your irises) are stimulated by light, becoming very small when we try to look into them with examination instruments. For most people, an eye examination with normal pupils is quite acceptable for their regular checkups. At ICU we routinely use a combination of ophthalmoscopy (looking into your eyes with a light) and retinal photography (allowing an instantaneous flash to photograph “the bigger picture” of your eyes, with your pupils naturally dilated in a dark room). Periodically though, we recommend a dilated examination, for an even bigger picture. This then allows the more peripheral parts of your retina (the nerve layer at the back of the eye) to be examined.

As part of our Great Sight For Life programme, we recommend a dilated examination to all patients over 40, but we don’t do this at every 2-yearly visit. Every 5 – 10 years is sufficient, giving a good balance between giving you the best assessments we can, without ruining
your driving ability for the day every time you have your eyes tested. We also recommend dilated examinations for patients with extremely small pupils, or those at higher risk of disease such as retinal detachment. We generally don’t dilate our patients’ pupils without plenty of prior warning - often this warning is 2 years in advance! The only exception to this rule is when a patient advises us that they are experiencing symptoms indicating a possible retinal tear or detachment – in this circumstance, a little inconvenience is outweighed by the need for immediate assessment.