Are There Alternatives to Eye Dilation?

To the majority of people, the eye dilation is the worst part of the comprehensive eye exam. Not only does it make your vision blurry, but your eyes become extremely sensitive to light - making it difficult to drive, work, or view anything on a screen.

Here are the reasons why doctors need to check your retina and your alternatives to the eye dilation.

Why is the Dilation Exam Important?

Eye dilation is one of the most important parts of the comprehensive eye exam. During your dilation, an optometrist can examine the retina, optic nerve, and vessels in the back of the eye for a wide variety of health and vision issues. This includes:

• Diabetes

• High blood pressure

• Macular degeneration

• Retinal detachment

• Glaucoma

• Eye tumors

This exam is critical to preventing and treating eye conditions that could potentially lead to vision loss. However, new technology may allow for you to have a comprehensive retinal exam without the use of dilating drops.

What are the Alternatives to Eye Dilation?

The Optomap Retinal Exam is a diagnostic tool that allows clinicians to view a majority of the retina. This retinal imaging product gives doctors a view of the retina without the use of dilating drops.

Here’s how it works:

1. To have the exam, you simply look into the Optomap one eye at a time (like looking through a keyhole).

2. A low-powered scanning laser digitally scans the retina.

3. Different wavelengths of laser light are used to capture an image of your retina.

4. The image is filtered (allowing various layers of the retina to be evaluated), viewed on a computer monitor, and stored for future comparisons.

An Optomap exam is non-invasive and takes only seconds to complete. Additionally, capturing the image takes less than a half second and they are available immediately for you (and your doctor) to see.

Benefits to an Optomap Exam

The benefits of having an Optomap ultra-widefield retinal image taken are:

• Speed: It allows your optometrist to capture a 200° high-resolution image of the retina in a single shot (without dilation) in a quarter of a second.

• Efficiency: The Optomap captures more than 80% of your retina in a single image while traditional imaging methods typically only show 15% of your retina at one time.

• Comfort: Those who undergo an Optomap exam leave the office with vision intact, rather than with light-sensitivity and blur that accompany dilation.

• Patient History: Using the Optomap creates a permanent record of your eye health and allows for future side-by-side comparisons.

Just like the eye dilation, Optomap helps protect your vision from conditions that can cause impairment or blindness and offers early detection of life-threatening disease. It is also safe for children and includes no adverse side-effects.

Optomap: Available at the Eden Prairie Eye Care

Eden Prairie Eye Care has incorporated Optomap into our practice! Our friendly and kind staff will use the Optomap exam to keep your vision healthy while ensuring that you stay comfortable.

Now there’s no reason to put off your comprehensive eye exam. Contact our offices at (952) 944-2792 or through our online form and ask if our Optomap technology is right for you!