In addition to your routine eye examination, your optometrist may ask you to return for a dilated medical examination. Your routine eye examination is a good “gateway” for your optometrist to screen for anything else that could be considered “yellow” or “red” flags when it comes to eye health. In the given amount of time allotted to each of our patients, we are unable to address everything in one sitting (sometimes it requires multiple visits). Your optometrist will most likely mention that you will be “dilated” at your next visit … what does that mean?
A dilated medical examination is done intentionally to increase the size of the pupils achieved by instilling eye drops so that the optometrist can fully examine the health of the structures and tissues of the inside of the eye. The exam is critical to preventing and treating eye conditions that could potentially lead to vision loss.
Listed are some of the more common eye-related conditions that would require a dilated medical examination. (This is by no means a comprehensive list)