Is it normal to instill eye drops to dilate my pupils prior to an eye check?

[MyBlueFinch]

Saw the optometrist for routine eye check recently.
First concern, they instilled eye drops into both my eyes to dilate the pupils. My eyes started stinging.
After the check i left for home, second problem started. I could not focus as the lights outside were dazzling and i kept covering my eyes and hoping i did not bump into anything. It was scary for me .
I do not know if this is normal procedure as i never had such drops into my eyes prior to an eye check.
Thank you for reading this.

Completely normal, but you should have been told the effects of the drops would take 3-4 hiurs to wear off.

That’s awful that they didn’t warn you!
hooefully it’s gone off now? But I wasn’t allowed to drive after and wore sunglasses. My vision was so bad I struggled to walk home and cross roads - I should have asked them to call me a taxi as I couldn’t even see to type on my phone!
I’ve never had them for a regular eye test. Had you complained of floaters or dark vision?

Yes, I've had this. They advise you not to drive for a few hours afterwards. I find sunglasses help with glare, even if it's not sunny.

They should really have advised you when you made the appointment @MyBlueFinch so you could have prepared.

Even still you should have been informed first (which opticians was this?)

Yes, completely normal. The eye drops do make vision blurry for a few hours. I was told this information before the test and was also told to bring someone with me, avoid driving etc.

I’ve only had this at a specialist appointment and they warned me in advance. I wouldn’t expect it at a routine eye check tbh

My kids have had it at routine eye checks.

It's normal if they want to check the retina. They should have explained why they were doing that and the effects of the drops. I need to wear sunglasses when outside for a few hours afterwards and I always develop a terrible headache.

It is not standard as part of a regular eye test
i had to have this done recently and was given a separate appointment, wanted about the stinging and after effects and fold not to drive/ sensitivity to bright lights
They absolute should have warned you and if they didn’t you should complain

Yes they should tell you in advance. Not much good if you have driven to an appointment and find you can't drive back!

My DH goes for regular appointments and it always say they might use drops. Usually they don't. But we never know for sure so I always have to drive him which is a pain. Last time they actually did put them in, though.

I’ve had these drops but not for routine tests and have always been warned beforehand as shouldn’t drive for a while after them and usually advised to wear sunglasses.

I have orange dye drops for routine contact lens eye tests, but again am warned in advance as need to wear glasses afterwards so don’t dye the contacts lens

I refuse them and have to sign a disclaimer
I don’t live near an optician or town even. I can’t drive after the drops so I’m stuck for hours.
Hence the refusal.

Some opticians won’t see you if you refuce but ours make allowances. Probably because it serves rural areas and there’s no coffee shop in town to wait it out
🫤

Yes normal but very poor they didn't explain this to you

Where is everyone who is saying this is normal for a routine eye check having their eyes tested? I’ve been to many opticians over more than 40 years and it’s never been included in a routine test for me (except for the orange contact lens dye thing, but that doesn’t affect vision)

It has for me and I’ve even had opticians requesting I sign a disclaimer because Aparently they are required to check your eye health. To do that fully they need to look at the back of theeye ( hope I’m remembering correctly ) and to do that they need this fluid

Ive had opticians refuse to see me in the past

ps I had this with opticians in Medway and the same hassle now in Kent.

It is normal if they want to look at the back of your eyes
.
My pupils take a long time to get back to normal so I always ask for a reduced amount of the dilating agent to be used and there has never been a problem with that .

Not normal for me. Never had that for a routine check but how are they doing this check? If it’s done with computerised diagnostic imaging it’s not necessary in my experience

The reaction you faced when you got home isn't normal. I guess you could be allergic or something?

They do put stuff in that stings and they usually do say it will sting and you might have blurry vision for a little while.

But most people it wears off pretty quickly, within an hour or so and doesn't impede vision to the point you would bump into something.

I have never had it on a routine eye test, only a hospital one but then I was told about the drops and not driving so DH took me or I would have got the bus and I took some sunglasses

Very normal and son had the same extreme reaction to light that you did. But he's fairly light-sensitive anyway. We got around it by covering his head with a beanie pulled low the next time and making a game of it.

It’s not part of a routine eye test but should be done periodically, especially as one gets older or if there are specific concerns.

Odd that this wasn’t explained beforehand.

Given how precious and irreplaceable our eyes are, I cannot understand why anyone would refuse.

I always bring sunglasses and have no trouble driving after half an hour or so.

Never had this. My son has, as a child at a specialist hospital eye appointment with notice, but never during routine visits.

How old are you?

It's not normal as part of a routine eye test and most opticians now have a machine they use to photograph the back of the eye.

I've only had this used once when I had a floater and was referred to a specialist eye clinic to check for retinal damage. They explained the side effects and I was told to bring someone with me to the appointment. It was horrible and I felt sick and had to lie in a dark room for a couple of hours until my eyesight returned to normal.

Definitely not part of the annual sight test in my experience of 60 years of visiting opticians. Yes, they do this if they are wanting to look closely at the back of the eye, but they don't need the drops to take the pictures of the retina or to do the retinal scans.

They should definitely have told you beforehand that they were (or might) use them, when I have them it can take 3-4 hours before my vision is back to normal, there is absolutely no way that I could drive.

I have had this multiple times and I have also had two cataracts, a torn retina and a detached retina last week. Eye dilution is pretty mild and produces a small sting and which is very minor over any of the things I have been through.

However they should always tell you what they are doing and why. It's not routine and maybe an indication that they have picked something up on your scans.