I'm going in for an eye exam tomorrow, and it's possible that they may want to dilate my eyes. I've never had it done before, so I'm not sure what to expect. What does it feel like, what will things look like, how long will it take to wear off, etc.? Also, I've heard tell of some people who've gotten sick or fainted from eye dilation drops...how common is this, and what are the risk factors for it happening?
Also, second question - I woke up in the middle of the night about a week ago (I sleep with my lights on, btw) and looked in the mirror for a moment, and my eyes were COMPLETELY dilated. I've never seen this happen before from waking up. Went near the light, and it took almost 10 minutes before they went small again. I've also heard of the pupils dilating when you die. Does this mean that I may have very almost nearly died that night?
2007-12-11 17:25:08 · 13 answers · asked by Jennifer 2 in Health ➔ Optical
Added note for high diver: No, it wasn't difficult to see when I woke up with the dilated pupils, that's the strangest thing! I remember being able to see pretty much as normally as I ever do. It hurt my head when I turned towards the light fixture in my room to see if they'd go back small from being in the light (which they didn't, but I went back to sleep and woke up with them looking normal).
2007-12-11 17:33:30 · update #1
Oh hun you wasn't closed to dying. When you woke up you was probably scared and u exhibited the fight or flight response. That makes your pupils dilate.
It is very uncommon to get sick when your eyes are dilated. You will receive a drop or 2 of drops to make your eyes dilate so the Dr can examine your eyes. It does NOT hurt. It blurs your vision for several hours.
The color of your eyes determines how long your eyes will stay dilated. The lighter your eyes the longer it takes for your eyes to return to normal. Blue eyes people are the worst.
GL with your exam
2007-12-11 17:40:10 · answer #1 · answered by impurrfect10 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You don't have to take anyone with you. I've gotten mine dilated more than a few times and I've always gone in alone and drove myself home, even went grocery shopping after it one time. What happens is that the drops paralyze muscles in your eye so your iris doesn't respond normally to light, i.e. it doesn't reduce the size of your pupils when too much light is entering the eye. This is why you need sunglasses afterwards, though your doctor should give you some temporary wraparound shades if you don't have any. In addition to paralyzing your iris the drops may also paralyze your ciliary muscle, which controls the lens of your eye. This results in you not being able to focus except at one distance. This is very frustrating to me but after a while you get used to it. If you're not nearsighted then you'll get to see what it's like! It takes a while for the drops to wear off, maybe 6 hours or so.
2016-03-15 22:05:02 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It really isn't that bad at all. I've had it done numerous times. It really is more mind over matter. They usually put two drops in..the first one will "numb" your eye. The second one will dilate your eye. Things don't really look that different, however you will be very sensitive to light. It takes around 4 hours to wear off. I really don't think that there is very much risk of people getting sick or fainting. It is in the long run a better idea to just get the dilation done. They can check for long term, permanent problems. It really isn't an inconvenience to you.
Make sure you bring sunglasses with you!
2007-12-11 17:34:30 · answer #3 · answered by Martina Franklin 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Relax! It's not a big deal at all. It really doesn't feel that different when I get my eyes dilated, just a little puffy as a whole. The dilation usually last a few hours for me, so make sure you bring some sunglasses with you, unless you wanna drive home with the unattractive "granny" pair they hand you on the way out.
2007-12-11 17:30:20 · answer #4 · answered by ♥-Due June 7th!-♥ 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You have to wear shade when you get your eyes dilated, cuz the light is too much for you to see clearly. I would have someone drive me home, cuz it's really hard to drive like that.
Was it hard to see when you woke up with dilated pupils?
2007-12-11 17:30:14 · answer #5 · answered by Neomaxizoomedweebie 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No you did not almost die. Also when they dilate your eyes you don't feel anything. It is eye drops in your eye and unless you have a reaction to the drops you don't feel anything. They give you sun glasses to wear until your eys are back to normal.
2007-12-11 17:28:19 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
1 - acually, its just a drop of water they put into your eye pretty much, it makes you sensative to light for ~4 hours, and you should probably bring sunglasses for after the appointment.
2 - I dont know much how to answer this but im guessing you might have just opened your eyes when you were sleeping (its natural to just do this once in a while) And when you woke up your eyes were dialated from direct light and lack of blinking?
2007-12-11 17:29:17 · answer #7 · answered by Strainz 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
its different for everybody. for me light didnt bother me and the only thing that was different was i couldnt see small writing up close. may be different for you thuogh. just make sure youve got somebody to drive you just incase you cant see well. also, i dont see how eyes being dialted has a thing to do with you almost dying, but i dont know.
2007-12-11 17:39:34 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had mine done when I got new glasses 2 months ago. They just put drops in your eyes. It helps them to see if there's any retinal problems they need to know about. It doesn't hurt and it wears off in approx.20 min. Ya usually wear sunglases home. No big deal
2007-12-11 17:37:39 · answer #9 · answered by private 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
i have never heard of getting sick or fainting...possible allergic reaction maybe tho. things will get blurry and they will feel heavy and goopy, maybe even numbish...don't feel worried to tell ur optometrist u are nervous, he/she will explain things to u. do some research online also if it will make u feel more comforatable
yes 10 mins seems a bit long for that...talk to ur optometrist tomorrow about it.
2007-12-11 17:31:02 · answer #10 · answered by snowrider336 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋