Is it necessary to have my eyes dilated during every eye exam?

Answer From Alaina L. Softing Hataye, O.D.

Whether eye dilation during an exam is necessary depends on the reason for your exam, your age, your overall health and your risk of eye diseases.

The eye drops used for dilation cause your pupils to widen, allowing in more light and giving your eye doctor a better view of the back of your eye. Eye dilation helps your eye doctor diagnose common diseases and conditions, possibly at their earliest stages. These diseases and conditions include:

  • Diabetes
  • High blood pressure
  • Macular degeneration
  • Retinal detachment
  • Glaucoma

Eye dilation also makes your vision blurry and your eyes more sensitive to light, which can affect your ability to drive or work for a few hours. So if eye dilation is greatly inconvenient, ask your eye doctor about arranging another appointment. Alternatives to dilation are available, but they aren't as effective for allowing a careful exam of the back of the eye.

In deciding whether eye dilation is necessary for you, your eye doctor may consider:

  • Your age. The risk of eye diseases increases with age. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends a dilated eye exam once every 1 to 2 years if you're 65 or older and you have no other risk factors or eye disease.
  • Your ethnic background. People of certain ethnic backgrounds are at increased risk of some eye diseases. Black and Hispanic people are at increased risk of glaucoma. For this reason, they are advised to have a dilated eye exam every 1 to 3 years starting at age 40 and every 1 to 2 years after age 55.
  • Your eye health. Having a history of eye diseases that affect the back of the eye, such as retinal detachment, may increase your risk of future eye conditions.
  • Your overall health. Certain diseases, such as diabetes, increase the risk of eye disease.
  • The reason you are seeking an eye evaluation. Certain symptoms may require a dilated exam to determine the cause. Some conditions requiring follow-up exams may not need dilation at every visit unless there are new symptoms or concerns.

With

Alaina L. Softing Hataye, O.D.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

Jan. 25, 2025 See more Expert Answers

See also

  1. Considering LASIK surgery
  2. Keratoconus