FAQs

What Do Optometrists Do During an Eye Exam?

They check how well you can see and whether your eyes are working properly together. This includes:
• Reading an eye chart
• Checking for nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism
• Testing depth perception, color vision, and peripheral vision

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Prescribe Glasses or Contacts
If you need help seeing better, they’ll figure out your prescription and help you get the right lenses.

Detect Eye Conditions
They can catch early signs of serious problems like:
• Glaucoma (increased pressure in the eye)
• Cataracts (cloudy lens)
• Macular degeneration (damage to the center of the retina)
• Diabetic eye disease

If something more serious is going on, they’ll refer you to an ophthalmologist for surgery or advanced treatment.

Treat Minor Eye Issues
• Prescribe medication for eye infections, aka “pink eye”
• Treat dry eye, allergies, and eye strain
• Remove small foreign objects from the eye (like dust or metal shavings)

Monitor Long-Term Eye Health
People with health conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure often need regular eye checkups, and optometrists help monitor for complications.

What is dilation, and why is it important?

When your eyes are dilated, special eye drops are used to temporarily enlarge your pupils (the black center part of your eye). Normally, the pupil gets smaller in bright light, but when it's dilated, it stays open wide.
 

This gives the optometrist a better view of the inside of your eye, especially the retina, macula, optic nerve, and blood vessels.

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1. It Helps Detect Serious Eye Diseases Early​​

Many eye diseases show little to no symptoms in the early stages. A dilated eye exam helps your optometrist spot early signs of:

• Glaucoma (damage to the optic nerve)
• Macular degeneration (affects central vision)
• Diabetic retinopathy (damaged blood vessels in the retina)
• Retinal detachment or tears

Without dilation, these areas might be partially hidden or missed entirely.

2. It's Especially Important for High-Risk People
You will need dilation at least once per year if you:
• Have diabetes
• Have a family history of certain eye diseases
• Are over age 60
• Have very high prescriptions or blurry vision that’s changing

3. It Gives a Full 3D Look at Your Eye Health
Dilation lets the doctor see about 75% to 100% of the retina, versus only 30% without it. This allows them to spot:
• Bleeding
• Swelling
• Tumors
• Infections
• Scar tissue

Side Effects of Dilation
After dilation, you may notice:
• Blurry vision up close
• Light sensitivity (because your pupils stay open)

These effects usually wear off in 4 to 6 hours, and sunglasses help tremendously.

Bottom Line:
Dilation is one of the best tools to protect your long-term vision. Even if your eyesight seems fine, it can uncover silent problems before they become serious.

Why is Dilation Required for Pediatric Patients?

1. Kids Can’t Always Tell You Something’s Wrong
Children often don’t realize they’re not seeing well. They may think everyone sees blurry or double. Dilation allows the eye doctor to fully examine the inside of the eye and catch problems that a child might not notice or be able to describe.

2. It Helps Detect Hidden Vision Problems
Some eye issues don’t show up clearly without dilation, especially:
• Refractive errors (like farsightedness or astigmatism)
• Amblyopia (lazy eye)
• Strabismus (eye misalignment)
• Retinal or optic nerve problems

3. It Helps Prevent Long-Term Vision Loss
Conditions like amblyopia (lazy eye) are much easier to treat if caught early, ideally before age seven. Dilation helps detect these early signs before permanent vision loss sets in. Early detection = better outcomes.

4. It Allows for a More Accurate Prescription
• Children’s eyes can over-focus during a regular eye exam. Dilation relaxes the focusing muscles in the eyes, so the optometrist can get accurate measurements and detect even subtle vision issues.

5. It Helps Find Serious Eye Health Issues
Although rare, dilation can help detect congenital conditions, retinal issues, or even tumors in young children. It's a vital part of a comprehensive eye health screening, particularly if there are
any family risk factors.

Summary:
Pediatric eye dilation is key for early detection, accurate prescriptions, and healthy vision development. Skipping it could mean missing serious issues that affect learning, development, and quality of life.

What should I bring to my exam?

ID & Insurance Info

• Government-issued photo ID
• Vision insurance or health insurance card (if applicable)

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Your Current/Previous Glasses & Contacts
• Bring all glasses you use (distance, reading, computer, etc.)
• Your contact lenses — bring the boxes or a copy of the Rx if possible
• Even if they’re broken or outdated, they still help the doctor understand your history
• Helps the doctor compare how your vision has changed

Medical & Eye Health History
• List of all medications prescribed and over the counter (including eye drops, allergy meds, or anything long-term)
• Details about any past eye conditions, surgeries, or injuries
• Any relevant family history (like glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetes, etc.)

Sunglasses (If You're Getting Dilation)
• After dilation, your eyes will be sensitive to light.
• Seneca Eye Clinic will give you disposable shades, but your own are better.