Just a little concerned...

16 years ago

went yesterday for what I expected to be a normal yearly eye exam at 9:45 am with a new doctor in my insurance network.

as most would expect...when you have passed the 50ish year..that simple eye exam developes into a puff of air, etc. Well, thankfully this OD did not use air, but used some sort of machine that gave him the info he needed, then the normal "can you read" and "is this better or worse" questions followed..

and then the dreaded...."I need to dilate your eyes so I can see inside of the eye" ... OK, no problem...I kinda expected that and inquired about how long would it be before eyes returned to normal as I needed to drive to work at 5:15 pm and work until approximately 10:30 pm. He assured me "would not be a problem" everything would be back to normal and driving would not be a problem, even upon leaving his office after the exam...since it was early in the day, "I should only experience some brightness and should just be extra careful driving home...then rest for a while."

Well as I sit here at 7:30 am the next morning, my eyes are still dilated! Granted, maybe not the to same extent as yesterday, but certainly far from normal!

Normally, my pupil is very small and i have been assured by several doctors, it is quite normal to be small as some people do experience this type of change with age and the pupil no longer increases in size as quickly as it did when they were younger...but this morning, it is still very open!

I could not even make out the pic of my grandchildren on my cell phone without my glasses, normally I can and do, because I use it as an alarm clock!

Have any of you experienced this kind of reaction...this is somewhat worrisome. Hope I haven't made a lot typos in this post!

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Comments (7)

azzalea
16 years ago
I go to the eye dr. every 4 months, she dilates my eyes maybe every 3rd or 4th time. Then about once a year, I go to the eye hospital for a battery of tests--that includes dilating (4-5 doses of the drops) my eyes for flash photos of the interior of them. This has been going on for about 30 years.

Reason I tell you all that, is that I probably have more experience with dilating than most.

As we age, it seems, it takes longer and longer for our eyes to return to normal after dilation. A regular dilation generally affects my eyes for most of the rest of the day. When I get the 'super dilation' for the photos, yes, it can be about 24 hours before I feel truly back to normal.

I'm glad you didn't get the 'puff of air' pressure test. That's usually used by optometrists (who are NOT medical dr's) and not nearly as accurate as the 'blue light' test used by opthalmologists (who are eye surgeons, and the kind of dr. you want to be seeing at this stage of life.

A tip--when you've been dilated, you can actually see BETTER without your glasses than with. My dr. always reminds me that if I want to read, take the glasses off.

If you're concerned, though, definitely call your eye dr. this morning and see what he/she has to say. For future reference, there are drops that reverse the dilation, but I know a lot of eye dr.s don't like to use them--I'm not sure why, though. But you might inquire next time, if you don't want to spend so long with your eyes dilated.

Just a note to any who might be reading this. Since we're talking about glaucoma testing--be sure, if your dr. gives you a diagnosis of glaucoma, that you have your CORNEAL THICKNESS measured. The test used for glaucoma is ONLY effective if your cornea is of average thickness. If your cornea is thicker than usual, you'll get high readings and may be treated unnecessarily for glaucoma. Unfortunately, there are also people with thin corneas--who can have quite advanced glaucoma but get normal readings with the standard glaucoma testing being used today. So it's important to all of us to know if our corneas are normal, thicker or thinner than usual.
wanda_va
16 years ago
azzalea, your post was very informative--thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge! I have also found that the dilation lasts longer as I get older. I've had extensive glaucoma testing the last couple of years, but have been lucky so far. I had never even heard of the "puff of air" test; my ophthalmologist always does the "blue light" test.

I want to echo your comment about the importance of being tested by an ophthalmologist. Eyesight is too important to trust to anyone else IMO.
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gadgets
16 years ago
Mine never wears off totally until I go to sleep for the night. But I've had others tell me that theirs last for up to 48 hours. It is not a good feeling to not be able to see right.

Shirley
jayokie
16 years ago
W

hen I experienced this about 20 or so years ago, my dr told me it was not normal to have dialation so many hrs. He changed the drops used, and I've told each succeeding dr (moved). No overly - long dilations. I do NOT drive while dilated. Too dangerous.
socks
16 years ago
Oldrusty, call your dr. this morning. Ask about the reversing drops. I know how uncomfortable this can be.
dibby
16 years ago
My dilation always seems to last longer than I think it should, but my opthamologist has stopped using the drops that shorten the duration. They wouldn't tell me why, just that they no longer have them available. ????

I would call your doctor just to relieve your mind, I hope they will return to normal very soon.

I don't like having that done and I seem to be super-sensitive to light having to wear double sunglasses when riding home.
sue_va
16 years ago
I see my eye doctor (opthalmologist) every 4 months. I have glaucoma.
As to the dilation, it is not done each time. When it is done, I've always been told to wait 30 minutes before I drive home, and they give me the black plastic glasses to wear home. I can't tolerate them though. I feel like I have my head in a bucket, so I don't use them. I've never had the dilation effect to last more than the 20, maybe 30 minutes.

Rusty, you really should call your doctor. We are all different, but he needs to know this, even if just for his records.

Sue

Just a little concerned...

Comments (7)

azzalea

wanda_va

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