![]() ![]() The eye is a beautiful organ, and it is the only place in the human body where a doctor can see a part of the central nervous system, the optic nerve. During an eye exam, a doctor will administer eye drops to increase the size of a patient’s pupils. Under normal circumstances, pupils can dilate to let in more light or in response to a variety of stimuli. Pupil dilation occurs when the opening in the center of your iris grows bigger to let in more light. The exam is critical to preventing and treating eye conditions that could potentially lead to vision loss. A topical anesthetic (numbing drop) can be used prior to the dilating drop to increase patient comfort.Pupil dilation is performed to purposefully increase the size of the pupils during an eye exam so that the eye doctor can fully examine the health of the optic nerve and retina. Like most eye drops, there is generally some stinging immediately after instillation. For the treatment of progression of nearsightedness (progressive myopia), atropine is used in a much lower concentration (0.01%), thus decreasing side effects such as blurred vision at near and dilated pupils. Rarely atropine can cause a new onset of eye crossing (esotropia), or worsen an existing esotropia. Side effects from atropine (which has a longer duration of action) include fever, dry mouth, flushing of the face, and a rapid pulse. Allergic reactions are rare with drops used for examination, but include lid swelling and red eyes. Children can return to school, but teachers should be aware of blurred vision while reading. Sun glasses may be helpful after a dilated eye exam. Light sensitivity and blurry vision (especially for near tasks) may be noticed. What are the side effects of dilating drops? When treating progression of nearsightedness (progressive myopia), a much more diluted concentration of atropine is used limiting potential side effects. Despite the longer duration of action, daily administration of the drop may be necessary for treatment. These therapeutic dilating drops (atropine and homatropine) may have a longer duration of action, even up to 2 weeks. Dilating eye drops are occasionally used to treat certain eye diseases, such as amblyopia and inflammation in the eye. Weaker drops are used for premature babies and neonates. Children require stronger and longer lasting drops than do adults to accurately measure refractive error. Pupil dilation tends to last longer in people with lighter colored eyes (irides), and occasionally a child’s eyes may stay dilated for longer than 24 hours. ![]() Finally, dilating eye drops are sometimes used to treat eye diseases or conditions, such as amblyopia, inflammation, or progressive myopia (nearsightedness).ĭilating eye drops used for examination of the eyes usually last from 4 to 24 hours, depending upon the strength of the drop and upon the individual patient. Also, relaxing the focusing muscles of the eye allows for a more accurate measurement of refractive error (need for glasses) in children. Sometimes the drops are given via spray.Ī large pupil allows the doctor to examine the inside of the eye in order to diagnose and treat eye diseases. These two kinds of medications are often used together, either as two separate drops or as a single combination drop. There are two types of drops: one type stimulates contraction of the muscles that enlarge the pupil (such as phenylephrine) the other type relaxes the muscles that make the pupil constrict and also relaxes the muscle that focus the lens of the eye (such as cyclopentolate). Dilating eye drops contain medication to enlarge (dilate) the pupil of the eye.
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