Anyone's DC had those eye drops that dilate the pupils for an examination?

[neverenoughMEtime]

Hi,

DD has been referred to the eye hospital now because 2 consultants are arguing over whether or not she has a micro squint and one consultant keeps measuring her eyes incase one is bigger than the other Im quite sure she is fine but these two can't agree, one is saying the other one is acting bizarre measuring DD's eyes when the other consultant (and us) can't see anything wrong! So my poor DD stuck in the middle, now has to go to the eye hospital and have these eye drops to dilate her pupils so a third consultant can examine her eyes properly. Sigh. (i am glad it is being checked out though to be on safe side) This comes just after there was a big panic about her head being too small. 2 appointments later it turns out the HV's chart was wrong and head is actually fine, as i thought it was.

So, hopefully the last hurdle now, this appointment tomorrow. How will the get the drops in my 10mo eyes and keep her still enough to examine them? Knowing DD she will be thrashing around and screaming if they touch her as she is unsure of strangers at the moment. Im worrying about them having to sedate her or something..can anyone share their experiences? Thanks!

Sorry rushing, how will they get the drops in my 10mo babys

They will hold her eyes open. TBH I imagine it will be a quick examination, rather than a ten minute look every where type.
When our DD had hers, she had to wear sunglasses afterwards. Probably not important in the UK on an overcast day.
Chin up, they'll soon leave you alone.

Thanks kreecher! :)
Ah so the drops must make the eyes a bit sensitive/let more light in with being dilated or something? How long does it take to wear off?

Thanks :)

They'll hold her eyelids open and drop the drops in, it's not very pleasant but over quickly. It makes the eyes more sensitive to light for about 4 - 6 hours afterwards, but like kreecher says that's not really a problem on a day like today. It also makes their depth perception a bit off for the same length of time so watch out or bumping into things and going up and down stairs.

DS has had this done every 6 months for 5 years, now thankfully discharged, so we are very used to it and its not that bad. The worst thing is the waiting for the 20 - 30 mins after the drops for them to take effect, by that stage we have usually already been at the hospital for up to an hour and the toys are beginning to loose their appeal!

Thanks hairymaclary! (DD1 loves those books! )

Right so we will have to wait 20-30 mins..the appointment is bang on DD's nap time so that should be a fun wait!

Thanks for that about depth perception, will keep an eye on her afterwards.

Great news that your DS has been discharged after having to have this so often! Hopefully it will be a one off for us!

Thanks again :)

DD2 has these every 6 months. They do cry when first in as they sting a little. I would try and keep her up and then once drops in let he sleep for a bit.

The drops can take up to 24 hours to wear off and take about 30 mins to work - the exam takes about 5 mins after that. We were reading up about it for DS2 (20 months). I personally didn't like the idea that his sight would be fuzzy for so long without him being able to understand it.(he would be very grumpy about that!) We've decided just to monitor it for now - he isn't currently having any problems and the pupil size difference isn't noticeable.

My DS had a squint and used to have the eye drops for his check ups. He said that they sting, so be aware of that.

thanks lisad123, that is what we are going to try to do. Eeek i hope they don't sting too much..

Thanks bubbley, hope your DS continues to have no problems :)

Thanks neverenough! Hope your appt goes ok and his eyes are fine! :) keep us posted!

Oh thanks karma..so DD will probably scream her head off then! Poor thing..Ive just arranged for another mum at school to take my DD1 in to school tomorrow so DH can come with me and DD2..[wimp emoticon]...

Thanks bubbley :) will update tomorrow.

I had those drops recently and they really sting but only for a minute or 2. then the vision is blurred in that eye for a bit and that pupil is HUGE so to compensate, the other one is really small. You have to wait around 20-30 mins for them to take full effect and then the examination is a very thorough 5 mins but given the age of your DD it is likely to take longer.

Oh no, why do they have to sting!!! :(
I hope they will only do DD's left eye, as that is the one they suspect has a squint..

Can't wait for it to be over now TBH :(

If she has to have it done regularly, you can get the drops to take home and put them in before you go to the hospital. That way you can distract/bribe your child and they are a bit less upset than they would be at the hospital, which can seem scary to some children.

Also, you can book an early appointment and put the drops in while the child is asleep, because the effects last for 24 hours. That way they don't get distressed thinking about having the drops. For my son, the thinking about it was worse than the actual having iyswim. I used to bribe him with new dinosaurs.

I have had a few of these done. They have never felt any different to me then a little water going in my eyes. Usually starts working with in 15 mins and wear off after about 6 hours but start to get better after a couple. I always feel a bit disordered for the couple of hours ....weird but not painful.

Ah thanks karma and manda :)

Karma im hoping it is a one off for DD. Thanks for the tips, if she has to have it again i will see if we can do as you suggested! Sounds much better than doing it in hospital.

Manda, good to hear that it just felt like water to you!! Hope its not too painful for my DD. Thanks for sharing :)

I've had them a couple of times, they do sting a bit and you get freaky manga cartoon eyes afterwards. I found I had to wear sunglasses and that's in the UK, so I would shield dd from the light for the rest of the day if you possibly can.

Good luck :)

I had that done recently and they do sting a bit and the light is very painful for up to 24 hours. Make sure she is shaded for that time as it can give a banging headache. Its easy to get the drops in, but the examination, presumably looking at the back of the eye (retina/optic nerve) may involve swaddling her and brute force to keep her head still. If not possible oral sedation?

i think that having an appointment late afternoon is the better time for the drops as then your child will only be suffering the affects for a shorter time in the day and the familiarity of routine ie tea, bath,cuddles,bedtime story,sleep should be easier than watching your child like a hawk and trying to keep sunglasses on for a whole day!

My ds had these at about the same age as we had a ew of those white eye photos. Sorry I can't give you any details as dp does medical procedures, I'm too much of a wuss . I don't remember him saying it was too traumatic though.

Thanks for the replies everyone!!

We just got home, DD's eyes are fine!!!

She had the drops and was so good, she only cried because the consultant had to hold her head still for a second! Once the drops were in she didn't cry, just rubbed her eyes a few times. It only took 15 minutes to work and then DD sat on DH's knee while the consultant shined a light in each eye for about a minute each. Then she put some little round glass thingys in front of each eye to check her focus. All done :)

Just have to go back in 3 months for another check to be absolutely sure.

I forgot about the light sensitivity no-one mentioned it at the hospital and i was busy putting on DD's snowsuit and hat, then just wheeled her outside! Looked down and saw her rubbing her eyes so i pulled her hat over her eyes and dashed to the car :) Will be staying indoors this afternoon anyway and she seems fine as it is quite dull!

Thanks for all your helpful posts, i tend to get so nevous before these things

Glad to hear it all went well

Glad it went well :)

DD did very well with the examination - can be a bit of a problem, but she is obviously very laid back!