Dilation Info

Will Dr. Phillips dilate my eyes and make me blurry?

Dilation is recommended for all healthy eyes, a minimum of every 3-4 years. Some folks should be dilated every year, if they have family history of eye issues, a prescription higher than a -5.00, or history of concussions. It is the only way to assess a person’s eyes for retinal holes, the warning signs of an impending retinal detachment, ocular melanomas, vascular problems in the eyes, and many preventable forms of blindness. If it's an issue, we can break up your appointment and do the drops later on. We can always do your glasses prescription the first visit, and let you come back for a no charge follow up to do the eye drops a few weeks later.

“But my last place let me pay extra to have a picture instead of eye drops…”

Retinal photos can be a helpful tool in documenting findings in the eye, and sometimes for diagnosing certain conditions. However, it does not replace dilation, which remains the gold standard for retinal and cataract evaluation. There is no camera that can see your entire retina. You still need to be dilated and checked by a competent professional every few years, at a minimum, regardless of how many pictures you have done. Remember, there are parts of your retina that cannot be evaluated with a photo, and it’s important to check there for early signs of diseases such as early signs of stroke, detaching retinas, and more. Your eyes are a window into your body, and we can even catch things like early diabetes, cancers such as melanomas and even colon cancer! Ask any retina doctor if they had to choose whether to use a retinal camera or dilation to look at a patient, they will always pick the dilation.
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“How blurry will I be?”

Dr. Phillips works hard to titrate the optimal amount of dilating drop to give her a full view of your retinas, without making you unnecessarily blurry. She will assess your pupils and decide on a personalized dose for you, to get results but minimize vision effects. Ideally, you will be a little blurry for 2 - 3 hours. You will still be able to see pretty well, except for your close up vision. Reading papers, phone and computer will be very blurry if you are under 50 years old. However, walking and even driving for many is pretty clear after leaving the office. You should always have a back up driver in case you do feel too blurry, and assess for yourself how you feel if you want to drive. We do not recommend trying to drive if it is your first time dilating, or you are very sensitive to the effects.