Is it okay that my pupils are still dilated 24 hours after my eye exam?

January 7, 2012 6:52 AM

Is it okay that my pupils are still dilated 24 hours after my eye exam?

I went in to get tested for LASIK compatibility yesterday and they gave me eye drops to dilate my pupils. The blurriness in my vision and difficulty reading disappeared after a few hours, but the pupils are still pretty dilated and sensitive to light.

They told me this would only last 6-8 hours. I'm not really experiencing much discomfort, I just want to make sure this extended reaction isn't anything to worry about. The office is closed today, so I turn to metafilter. Any info would be much appreciated, thanks!

posted by mean cheez to Health & Fitness (8 answers total)

I would call and check with them. If they don't have an emergency number I'd call whatever nurse line your insurance has or check in with an ER - seems like a bad idea for dilation to last that long.
posted by leslies at 7:07 AM on January 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

this is a question that needs to be asked directly to a medical professional. please call now.
posted by lester at 7:28 AM on January 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

Best answer: My daughter routinely (every three months) gets her eyes dilated and it generally lasts at least 24 hrs, sometimes the sensitivity lasts for a few days. The opthamologist she sees has never been concerned. My kid is very fair and light blue-eyed and sometimes lighter eyes can be more sensitive to the drops. So not very uncommon at all - you may just be particularly sensitive to the drops and need a little less next time.
posted by takoukla at 8:07 AM on January 7, 2012

This is normal, in the sense that it's not surprising not in the sense that it's common, especially for light-eyed people. However, because you don't recall this happening before, you should make some calls. LASIK practitioners often have weekend hours so you may be able to reach them without an emergency line.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 8:18 AM on January 7, 2012

Everyone has different sensitivities to the drops so don't panic. It should have slowly changed though you may not have noticed. Just relax because your being nervous can dilate your pupils as well making the situation seem prolonged. Put some mud mask on, lay down, close your eyes and listen to some music. It will be fine before you know it.
posted by Yellow at 9:20 AM on January 7, 2012

Best answer: I have very pale blue eyes and when I get my eyes dilated they are more sensitive and dilated for at least 24 hours. Last time I had it done I was imitating Puss in Boots for two days. It looked like I had a massive hangover because I was wearing my sunglasses everywhere, even indoors at night. It seems like every time I get the dilation done the effects are a little worse and last a little longer. YMMV.

If you're concerned then of course you should call your doctor. For me though, this would be completely normal.
posted by TooFewShoes at 9:47 AM on January 7, 2012

Response by poster: I do have blue eyes, and I've noticed the dilation going down gradually over the course of the day so I think it's probably all good. Thanks for the info!
posted by mean cheez at 3:09 PM on January 7, 2012

Last time I got my eyes dialated, it lasted for almost 4 days. The docs said that was weird and they'd never seen it last that long before and that I should "keep an eye on it" with no mention of what to look out for.

I was nervous the whole time, but it went away after about 4 days and I seem to have had no bad effects (this was ~3 years ago). Besides the fact I couldn't work/drive/watch tv/read during that 4 days.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 5:06 PM on January 7, 2012