Vision Source Mandan Blog

The Importance Of Dilated Eye Exams

The eye is an extremely amazing and unique organ. In fact, it is the only place in the body where a doctor can see part of the central nervous system—the optic nerve!

What Is A Dilated Eye Exam?

The pupil is the opening in the center of the eye. When your pupil is not dilated, it makes seeing all the way to the back of your eye difficult, limiting your optometrist's ability to truly determine eye health. When dilated, the pupil widens and allows us to see much more than is possible in a normal eye exam, mainly the optic nerve, the retina, and the macula.

To perform a dilated eye exam, optometrists use dilating eye drops that contain medication to enlarge the pupil. During the exam they can detect signs of eye conditions that could potentially lead to vision loss, helping your doctor prevent and treat them as quickly as possible.

What Can Be Diagnosed With A Dilated Eye Exam?

A careful examination of the optic nerve is important for the diagnosis of glaucoma and other diseases. The diagnosis of retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), would be extremely difficult without a dilated eye exam.

Other conditions found during dilated eye exams include retinal tears or detachments and ocular tumors. These exams can even help detect health conditions that affect the whole body—including diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

Who Should Get A Dilated Eye Exam?

The National Eye Institute recommends that individuals who are 60 or older have an annual, comprehensive, dilated eye exam. Studies show that African Americans have a higher risk of glaucoma, so they are recommended to seek annual comprehensive exams beginning at age 40. In addition, children should have their first comprehensive eye examination before the age of three.

What if you are considered in good health, under 40, and wondering if your eyes need a more thorough check? You may not need a comprehensive eye exam every year, however people ages 20-30 should have one every two to three years.

Ensuring Your Health Is Our Goal

Dilated eye exams are important to our vision health because many eye conditions have no early warning signs. We simply don’t know if something’s wrong unless we look. Even if your eyes are considered healthy, get a yearly eye exam and follow your optometrist’s recommendation on how often to get a comprehensive, dilated eye exam. Remember, getting an eye exam can save your vision.

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Top image by Flickr user Nicolas Winspeare used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

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My annual eye exam is always an excellent experience with Dr. Danielle Dyke. The exam is always thorough, and Dr. Dyke takes the time to explain my eye health in a way I can understand. The Vision Source eye clinic is modern, clean, and the staff is very welcoming. I always feel comfortable and well-cared for at my appointment. I highly recommend Dr. Dyke and Vision Source!

Patricia G.

Dr. Schauer did an amazing job getting my eye infection cleared up. As I sat in my room waiting my turn, because I had a last minute appointment, I could hear her working with a family next door that had young kids.

Fred S.

Whenever I have had eye issues, they have made efforts to get me in asap. Which I really appreciate. I have had Dr. Aberle and Dr. Dyke and they are both excellent. Recently, I saw Dr. Aberle for a chronic eye problem in one eye & he fixed the problem. Honestly, it felt like a miracle. The office staff is also very pleasant to deal with.

Sheila S.

I've literally been a lifelong customer since 5th grade when it was Dr. Little! Dr. Schauer has taken over since Dr. Little retired. It's always a good, friendly experience with all of the staff there. I've never had a bad experience.

Bill S.

The front desk people are very nice and friendly got called in to see Wayne before my appointment time Vision Source has very friendly staff and the clinic is very clean will always be a patient to Vision Source.

Deborah C.

I was greeted by the front desk very efficiently. The person who did the first part of my history and did the testing like the little spritz in my eyes, etc, was very good. I really like my eye doctor, I feel that I get all my questions answered as well as she explains what she is seeing when she is examining my eyes.

Dolly A.

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