A dilated?eye exam?isn?t necessary all of the time, unless you?re a certain age or have certain contributing factors. But dilation is extremely important some of the time.
Make an appointment?for a comprehensive eye exam today, and talk with your doctor about whether you need dilation.
Diseases
A dilated eye exam allows your eye doctor to see into your retina better, which is important for the early detection and diagnosis of multiple different disease. These diseases include:
- – Glaucoma
- – Macular degeneration
- – Retinal detachment
- – Vasculitis
- – High blood pressure
- – Diabetes
- – Eye tumors
- – Some infectious diseases
What Factors Affect If Dilation Is Needed
The risk of certain eye diseases increase with age. Most people should start having dilation with their annual comprehensive eye exam by the age of 60. For people of African descent, this is lowered to 40 as they are more susceptible to certain eye-related diseases.
If you?ve had eye conditions or diseases in the past, dilation will be done more regularly for you in order to monitor those and other conditions. This includes diseases known to increase the chances of damage to eyes, such as diabetes.
How It Works
During a dilated eye exam, dilation drops are placed in each of your eyes to widen the pupil (the black portion at the center of your eye). This allows more light than normal to enter the eye. Dilation takes about 15-30 minutes.
Once the eye is fully dilated, the eye doctor will examine your eye using a special magnifying lense. This provides a clear look at the back of the eye, which includes body parts such as the macula, optic nerve and retina.
Once the eye has been examined, the eye will remain dilated for about 4-6 hours before wearing off.
Get Your Eye Exam
Make an appointment for a comprehensive eye exam today and check if you need your eyes dilated!