It is considered wise to have regular examinations, these exams are an excellent way to monitor and manage your optical health. When eye doctors in Pittsburgh PA prepare a patient for this annual process, part of the process is dilation of the eye. Dilation is accomplished when the eye doctor introduces drops to the surface of the eye; these drops force your pupil to remain open, even under bright light when normally the public would close.
When the pupil is dilated, there is no sensation of pain nor do you feel any discomfort. The only real issue is time; the drops take perhaps half an hour to work and then another hour to return to normal vision.
Because of this time issue, many patients will ask the eye doctors Pittsburgh PA if dilation is really necessary. The answer is; yes, dilation is necessary because it allows the eye doctor to see right through to the back of the eye. When an eye examination is taking place, the doctor uses the bright light and a lens to inspect the eye completely; this inspection covers the iris, cornea and lens. As the bright light of the inspection device tends to contract the pupil, without the drops and the subsequent dilation, the back of the eye would be very difficult to examine.
The back of the eye plays host to the retina, the optic nerve and a host of very important blood vessels, without dilation the eye doctor would not be able to properly observe and evaluate these components of the eye. Hypertension can be detected when the eye is dilated, it also allows for the early detection of disorders such as glaucoma and cataracts. The eye doctor is perfectly aware that dilation causes inconvenience, especially to those patients on a tight schedule, but they still insist that if they are going to conduct a complete and thorough exam, dilation of the pupil must be done.
Generally speaking, having a complete eye exam every two years should be sufficient for a healthy adult. If the doctor sees early signs of trouble, which indicates that the patient is high risk for potential optical problems, this time period may be shrunk. One thing to remember, bring sunglasses which will help when you leave the office.
OneVision Health & Wellness is where you will find eye doctors in Pittsburgh PA that provide complete eye care including ocular disease and trauma.
