But, after all, why dilate the pupil?

Some expand, others do not !! Is it really necessary ?!

Why is it necessary to dilate the pupil?

The dilation helps a lot in the visualization of the fundus of the eye, so for some patients who are at risk of comorbidities (glaucoma or risks of ruptured retinas in the periphery of the eye, among countless others ...), this practice is very important for performing examination more accurately.

However, sometimes the intention is not to dilate, but to paralyze the muscle of the eye so that it is possible to find the "degree of truth" of the patient, reducing the chances of going over or under, this is frequent in children under 40 years (because, the younger, the stronger this muscle is). These people should perform refraction (measuring the degree) with the pupil dilated, since it is common for more changes in the degree of refraction to occur during this period.

With pupil dilation, it is possible to assess the conditions of the optic nerve and the retina, which allows for early diagnosis. It is important to remember that this check is essential for diabetic, hypertensive people, who have age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, among other pathologies, as they can affect eye health.

Unfortunately it is not possible to know whether the ophthalmologist will dilate the pupil or not before arriving at the consultation. Therefore, we advise that patients take companions when they go to the doctor, since after dilation the vision can be blurred for a minimum period of 3 to 4 hours.