Well, I'm going to get my eyes dilated

how you doing that? and why? and who does it? and what does it cost? and how long does it last?

Do you have a long term relationship partner that drives you to medical procedures? If so, you are all set.

are you gonna have to wear sunglasses with eyeballs that huge?

you ARE one nosey bitch from hell, aren't you?

(just making a quick pit stop at the house before going to the eye dr)

I'm doing it as part of my annual eye exam.
I get an annual eye exam by the people who did my lasik, as that keeps the contract in force (they redo if my eyesight changes, for free)
My eyes, though normal, have borderline high pressure (they think naturally) so they like to keep tabs on it.
It's covered by my insurance, so I don't know how much it costs.

It lasts a few hours, where I won't want to read, watch TV, be on the computer and will sit in a dim room.

linkat, fortunately it's a cloudy day, so I'll be able to drive home wearing sunglasses with those dark shield things they give you over them.

sigh....it's just boring once you get home.

Take a nap.

(It's a cool, gray, rainy day here. I am fighting to stay awake.)

Yep...it's a pain.

I'm lucky...the effect lasts a few days.

Apparently blue eyes are more sensitive or some damn thing.

Oh. I thought maybe you were reviving the old style of using belladonna drops to make the eyes more attractive. Turns out to be just medical stuff.

It's a pain in the neck having ones eyes dilated.

I had the procedure done about a year ago in an eye checkup. They said to avoid bright light (not much of a warning) after the procedure was done. Walking on the way out of the hospital was fine.

After walking a block outside and getting out from under the shade was like being snowblinded. At that point, I had to keep my eyes at 3/4 closed. I then stumbled into the nearest CVS at the next block ... must have looked like I was stoned and drunk. Thankfully, I calmly asked the nearest store attendant to point me where the sunglasses were because of my recent eye dilation. I'm glad she was a believing and nonjudgemental sort and she quickly helped me.

My eyes were so strung out that I initially thought I was in a Duane Reade and I gave them my keys so they could scan my Duane Reade card.

Nevertheless, the cheap sunglasses worked though they broke on the next day.

The lesson learned? BRING sunglasses when you are getting your eyes dilated. Or bring a friend to help you get home after it's done.

I was not given sunglasses or eyeball related shields from the VA hospital.



Listen to a full length opera or radio drama. Don't need your eyes to do that!

They tell me to have a friend drive me home.

Last time, I carefully arranged this, and the damned doctor decided not to do it that time.

Next time I wore two pairs of sunglasses and drove myself home as usual.

Nobody here gives you no goddam special shields I can tell you!

I get my eyes dilated all the damned time, but, not every time, today for example. Diane usually drives me, unless I know for sure no dilation - as I also have a chronic glare problem in the first place, never mind with dilation.. I checked some website and they say the dilation experience varies with the drug and dosage, related to age or eye syndrome, and it sounds like for blue eyes too. My fun usually lasts 12 - 24 hours.

However, once I'm home, I like it. I can see my house much better than usual (from the RP), quite a pleasure. I also do use the computer, maybe not in the first couple of hours from the drops, but after that, no problem.

I have several sets now of dark glasses. The best are the ones they gave me after December's surgery, very protective, especially for summer. They came in some kind of post surg kit with some pamphlet on deals if I would buy more. Also got some on a trip in a cvs pharmacy - ones with side panels like the hospital glasses, but somewhat lighter in color. And when I got a new prescription filled with a 2-fer-one price, I ordered one set of dark glasses trifocals. There a little on the light side, but I like them, and tend to wear a sun hat in summer anyway.

With someone like me with my f/u eyes, driving through the forest could be problematic, as dark glasses make the heavy tree overstructure too dark, and regular glasses make the sunny parts somewhat blasting. Luckily, that forest that I always used to drive through was in not that wildly sunny an area.

Anyway, most places I frequent re eye doctors have give away dark glasses on hand at the counter.

Tsar, complain to the VA, they should at least have a preprinted list for eye exam prep, or some advice when you set up the appointment.

Chai - for a pressure check, they have always given me non dilating drops (I have glaucoma in the messed up eye but before that I had this sort of watchable ocular pressure). The dilation is to see the retina, the fundus (?) and whatever.

At 1:22...."I'M NEVER GONNA TAKE A NAP!!!"

A little bit prior to that "I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE A NAP AND I'M NOT LYING!!!"




Don't tell ME to take no stinkin' nap Eva.

Yep. I had the problem with they bicycle in late afternoons. Couldn't tell shadows from potholes. I ended up with very lightly tinted wraparounds with uv protection, and the sun protection from a cycling cap with a short, but very sharply angled bill.

My optometrist has this new equipment (Optomap) where I don't have to dilate my eyes in order to see the retina and optic nerves.
The images are transfered to his computer and also stored in my file so we
can compare from year to year if there are any changes.

http://www.optos.com/en-us/Patients/

I ended up with italian symphonies, but that was because of the nature of the forest as doable... and regular glasses. Once I got to Sonoma, the music changed.

That's interesting..

Yup, I have this done every year to check for gluocoma, as it runs in my mom's side of the family.

Make sure to bring some sunglasses with you.

I could have helped with that. Womens pupils always dilate when they see me.