eye testing 19 month old

I know exactly what you are going through. Have been through it twice with both dd and ds.
I found that with ds it was actually easier to time the appt with a nap/sleepy time. Loads of screams etc, cuddles and comforters then a quiet walk round hosp grounds or public areas to send him to sleep in the buggy. All opticians i have come across managed to do what they needed to do with him sound asleep in the buggy.
With dd singing songs was the best diversion, you end up getting a few strange looks singing silly songs whilst the dreaded drops are put in but in the end dd was correcting me for getting words wrong and forgetting about the world around her. If you are lucky the nurses will play along with the game and join in - ours do.
Good luck, hope it helps and if all else fails we break out the choccy buttons or jelly babies.

oh we had specialist look at dd week after her first birthday as she got a squint (squints in mine and dps families) i spotted it then mentioned it to hv who seen it too got hosp she waved pens with flashing furry bits in front dds eyes and got cross when dd wanted to grab it then she said she too young to tell they will look again when she 2.5yo

Forgot to say yanbu but I think if you go in with a positive attitude and a few coping strategies it can help the situation. Ds has required glasses since he was nine months so we are regulars at the eye clinic in our local hosp.

I am sympathetic to your situation, but what would you expect the doctors to do that they didn't do? My ds was prescribed glasses at 2.5 and had to go through what you are describing. He (luckily) did not make a fuss, but the child right before him did. I would have been quite unhappy if the doctors had spent ages trying to calm down the child before us (instead of leaving it to his mother to do) and made us wait even mroe than the 2 hours we had already waited. I thought they were perfectly nice to my ds, so can only assume that the screaming child was just more sensitive about these things. But to reiterate, I don't think it would have been fair to the doctors, or to me and my ds to make us wait while they perservered with another child. And I think that it's unlikely that the doctors who are complete strangers to her would be able to calm your dd, if you, her mother can't.

my dd 3 has a squint and have been regulars since 8 weeks. If she needs the drops, I have always done it, usually give between 30 mins to an hour before the appointment.
It is awful, but shes usually calms down quickly, also she has very pale blue eyes which make them more sensitive to sunlight after the drops so always put on a hat and sunglasses after giving the drops. Hope that helps. Once you have a dianosis you rarly need the drops. but be prepared for lots of visits if she does have a squint.