Does mydriasis hurt your eyes? Do you really understand?

"Dilate the pupil once, and use the eyes for 3 years?"

"I don't have time and don't want to dilate my pupils. Can't I just get glasses?"

"You just dilated my pupils last time, why do you need to dilate them again this time?"

“Why does my child see things more blurry after having his eyesight checked? How long will it take for him to recover?”

“Will mydriasis cause harm to the eyes?”

1What is mydriasis optometry?

Mydriatic optometry is called ciliary muscle paralysis optometry in the medical field. It is to drip ciliary muscle paralysis eye drops before optometry, so that the eyes temporarily lose their adjustment function and eliminate their influence on refraction, so that the eyes can obtain objective refractive properties and degrees. Since all current ciliary muscle paralysis drugs also cause mydriasis, it is commonly known as mydriatic optometry.

Mydriasis refraction can avoid the situation where the measured myopia is too high or the measured hyperopia is too low due to excessive adjustment of the ciliary muscle, thus making the refraction results more objective, accurate and reliable.

2Why do we need mydriasis refraction?

The reason why our eyes can see clearly both near and far is because the ciliary muscles inside the eyes are adjusting the focus. The younger the age, the stronger the eye's adjustment ability is, but active eye adjustment is not conducive to refraction examination. Therefore, in order to make the optometry examination objective, accurate and stable, adolescents and children and even some adults with strong adjustment ability or esotropia need to follow the doctor's advice to perform mydriasis optometry when undergoing optometry.

3. Under what circumstances is mydriasis refraction required?

①Children under 12 years old should use it regularly

②Children under 16 years old with hyperopic refractive error, especially those with esotropia

③ Children with impaired vision

④Those who are suspected of regulating spasm

⑤ When clinical symptoms are inconsistent with optometry results, or the accuracy of optometry results is questioned

⑥ Those whose corrected vision is abnormal and cannot be explained by other eye diseases

4Is mydriasis optometry harmful?

Mydriasis is a temporary effect of the drug and will not cause harm to the eyes. However, blurred vision and photophobia may occur after using mydriasis drugs. This is a normal phenomenon after the pupil becomes larger. Parents do not need to worry too much. It will recover on its own after a period of time. As long as it is judged by an ophthalmologist and there are no contraindications, mydriasis optometry is harmless to the eyes.

5. The impact and precautions of mydriasis

① After using ciliary muscle paralytic eye drops, press the lacrimal sac area with your fingers for 2-3 minutes to reduce systemic absorption of the drug.

② After mydriasis, the pupil becomes larger, causing fear of light. Strong light stimulation should be avoided. It is recommended to use a sun hat or wear sunglasses during outdoor activities.

③During mydriasis, due to accommodation paralysis, you should try to reduce or avoid close-range eye use, such as reading, looking at tablets, and mobile phones.

④During the period of mydriasis, near vision is blurred, so parents should take good care of their children to avoid injuries. Children should be closely observed during medication, and the medication should be discontinued immediately if any adverse reactions or signs of allergic reactions occur.

Attention! Attention!!

Not everyone can undergo mydriasis refraction, and there are contraindications to the use of ciliary muscle paralytics. For example, children with heart disease, craniocerebral trauma, spastic paralysis, Down syndrome, epilepsy, and those who are allergic to the drug ingredients are prohibited from using mydriatic drugs.

Yan Binxian, director of the optometry department of Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University, reminded that mydriasis is a common and routine procedure in ophthalmology and is harmless in itself. Parents do not need to worry too much when it is necessary to dilate the pupils of children, because this procedure is safe. However, we remind everyone that mydriasis is a medical procedure and can only be performed in regular medical institutions after evaluation by a doctor!