What is Dilation?

Dilation is when your eye doctor uses eye drops to enlarge your pupils. Because dilation allows for a better view inside the eye, it provides a more thorough evaluation of your eye and overall health. It is also an excellent time to obtain pictures of your retina.  Looking into your eyes through an undilated pupil is like looking into a room through a keyhole – an incomplete view.

Dilation, while inconvenient (you are light sensitive and blurry for awhile after), is very important to evaluate your eye health. An appropriate interval for dilated exams in a healthy person in the absence of disease or family history is once every three years.