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Why are eyes dilated for exam

The human body is surprisingly intricate with its composition in every part of it. Whether we are talking about the skeleton, muscles, or the way all of them work together in every move we make. Each part is highly important, and every move takes millions of orders from the brain to move those muscles together and complete the process of it. Growing old takes every strength of our bodies to complete, which makes taking good care of every bit of it increasingly important to avoid getting tired or sick in the future. Caring for ourselves means eating healthy, keeping our sensitive parts secure (eyes, ears, tongues… etc), drinking a lot of water, and playing sports. Our eyes are incredibly detailed with the way they work, and at the same time, how sensitive they are towards many of our daily things (light, dust, strong wind...etc). The anatomy of the eye includes the cornea, pupil, iris, retina, macula, sclera, choroid, ciliary muscle, trabecular meshwork...etc. All these parts work together in order to see clearly. The strategy used changes due to what you are looking at or focusing on. The movement of each eye is controlled by six muscles that pull the globe of the eye in various directions. They work together in a synchronized way, which also is a work that doesn’t come with simplicity.

When it comes to our eyesight's condition, we always seek the best oculists with more experience to visit regularly. This helps us take good care of our vision and keep them healthy. There are many strategies used while examining the eyes. One of the most common examinations is the dilating technique, which we will establish in this article. But first, let's talk more about the types of eye examinations.

Eye examination

The eye examination is the process of many tests performed to help the eyes keep working well and keep them safe in our day to day lives and the long term. There are many kinds of tests that we can take to keep our eyesight out of harm's way, whether we are talking about the regular refraction, slit lamp, dilated, or glaucoma tests. Each one of those kinds has its own advantages and helps with a certain condition. Technically, keeping an eye on our vision is one of the most important things we need to keep in mind, and it starts with making an appointment at our optometrists' clinic.

The equipment used during an eye exam changes from a type to another. For example, the Snellen Chart tool, which is the most recognizable one for most people because it is used in regular eye tests. This tool is a chart full of letters that get smaller all the way down. Usually, the doctor asks the patient to cover one of their eyes and say what they can or can’t recognize on the chart. This helps the doctor know if the patient needs to wear glasses or not. Another known tool is the Slit Lamp, which is a microscope that has a light source attached to it. It helps the doctor inspect the front and external parts of the patient’s eyes. In general, as they say: The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision. See the world like it should be seen, as clear and beautiful as it is, by visiting your optometrist regularly.

Why is it important to take eye tests regularly?

Imagine if you had a car for many years, and one day after 20 years of use one of its parts gets damaged. Would it work properly like the first day you bought it? No! You will know for sure that something is wrong and will need to fix it if it can be fixed. The anatomy of the car is led by every piece of it to work properly, just like our eyes. Taking eye tests regularly helps us avoid the many obstacles that would harm our eyes since our eyesights change with time. All kinds of sickness have their own symptoms, which makes it easier to know that we are getting sick and deal with it instantly.

Eye tests help us know the disease we have, whether we can feel it yet, or not, and help us treat it accurately before it increases to the point where fixing the damage is difficult. Keeping an eye open on our vision's condition is highly important because losing or damaging this sense means living a whole different kind of life. Your body is the only thing you can’t change, so keep it safe by taking good care of its health. The world was made in the clearest and most beautiful ways, so why would you let it get blurry in your eyes?

What is a dilated eye exam?

Our eyes work in a certain way to stay safe from the harm of the light. When you look at a lightful object or a place full of light, the pupil gets smaller to let only a little of that light into our eyes. The opposite is also correct. When you are in a dark place the pupils get bigger to let in more light in order to let you see better. Dilated eye exams are the process of purposefully increasing the size of the pupils by using special eye drops that force them to stay open. This helps the optometrist fully examine the health of the retina, optic nerve, and see more of the back of your eyes. This thorough strategy can be helpful and important, especially if your vision doesn’t feel normal or if you are having trouble seeing clearly.

The oculist can spot many eye conditions using this technique, like a torn, detached retina, or an eye tumor. Technically, it’s one of the most important strategies used when examining the eyes. Sleeping is the best thing to do when the exam is over because your eyes can feel a little sore for a few hours after, due to how much light went through the pupils. The sight might stay blurry for a while as well, which means you may not be able to read, drive, watch tv, or keep them open during those few hours.

What are the side effects of dilating exams?

Dilating eyes is not a painful process. At the same time, it isn’t a comfortable one. The feeling of having too much light advancing through our eyes is annoying due to their sensitivity towards light. Technically, it’s most likely a safe process even though it’s not relaxing. Its side effects are light sensitivity, blurry vision, trouble focusing on close objects, and stinging. These symptoms can last for 45 minutes to a person while lasting for a few hours to another. Many tips can help you get well faster, like wearing sunglasses for a while, not strain your eyes, and rest. Generally, dilating eyes is just like other treatments. The more you rest, the faster you get well.

As they say: “The eyes are the windows of the soul.” So take good care of your vision for a better future. It can never be bad to examine our eyes regularly, but it can cost a lot in the future if we don’t.

What are the benefits of dilating eyes?

The most important benefit of the dilation process is that the optometrist can see clearly everything going on in your eyes. Like Dr. Christopher said: “Looking through the pupil in an undilated eye is like looking through a keyhole in a room and trying to see in. It is much easier to open the door to see everything. It improves our chances of detecting the smallest defect or problem.” Many diseases can damage our bodies without pain, which means that this process can help the oculist detect any damage possible even if we can’t feel it. This makes it easier to treat that damage before it causes more harm.


In general, our senses are the way we connect with the world. Losing one of our senses changes everything around us and makes it much harder to deal with the world normally. They help us explore everything around us and at the same time, protect us from the danger we are surrounded by (sending signals to our brains to take care and be safe). Your eyes are just like a camera. They take pictures of everything and keep them as memories in your brain, which helps you review your memories in your head before they get forgotten. If you are trying to secure your eyes and keep them working perfectly, you need to find the best doctor to make sure your eyes are completely safe. Laurier Optical in Canada is the perfect clinic for you. They welcome patients with or without an appointment, which makes it even easier for you to see clearly, keep your vision safe, and be able to see the world as delightful as it is in the long term. Keep your vision pure and secure, as they say: Eyes can say what words can’t.