Answering Common Questions About Dilated Eye Exams

Undergoing a dilated eye exam is the best thing you can do for your eye health. This assessment is crucial to diagnosing, preventing and treating eye conditions that could lead to vision loss. To help you further understand what dilated eye exams are, Lumen Optometric is here to answer the most commonly asked questions about this process.

“What Is a Dilated Eye Exam?”

A dilated eye exam involves pupil dilation, which is a simple and painless procedure performed to increase the size of the pupils. This process allows your ophthalmologist to assess the health of your optic nerve and retina. If you are nearsighted or farsighted, your eye doctor will give you dilating eye drops to check vision problems that hinder you from seeing clearly.

“What Conditions Can It Detect?”

Glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinal detachment and ocular tumor are some of the conditions that can be diagnosed with a dilated eye exam. This procedure provides optimum viewing of the dilated pupil, which allows for the diagnosis and monitoring of the retina. While there are some diseases that can be detected without pupil dilation, a dilated eye exam is still important to ensure an accurate and complete diagnosis.

“What Can I Expect During the Exam?”

When your eyes are dilated, your vision may be blurry and your eyes may be sensitive to light for a few hours. For your safety, ask a loved one to drive you home from your eye appointment. In case your eye doctor finds refractive errors in your vision, they may provide you with a prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses to help improve your eyesight.

At Lumen Optometric, we are committed to providing only the best eye care services to help you take care of your vision problems. To schedule an eye consultation, call our team at (626) 921-0199 or fill out our online form.