Dilation

An exam with dilation is very important to assess the full health of the eye especially for conditions like cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. It should be performed every year or two depending on factors such as age, health conditions, and family history of disease. Most eye diseases must be caught as early as possible before significant damage occurs because it is much easier to prevent loss of vision than to bring it back. Dilation is important because many conditions may not be visible in their early stages without dilation. To dilate the eye, special eyedrops are used to enlarge the pupil. Usually, looking through a pupil is like looking through a hole in a fence. The bigger the hole in the fence, the easier it is to see finer details past the fence and objects blocked by a smaller hole will be revealed.