PREPARING FOR THE EXAM
QUICK SUMMARY OF WHAT TO DO BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT:
(1) FREE VALIDATED PARKING: Park in the structure at 330 E. Union St., Pasadena, CA 91101. It is a good idea to enter this address on applemaps or googlemaps. The parking lot is in back of our office building. Our office is on the fifth floor. Office address: 301 E. Colorado Blvd., #528, Pasadena, CA 91101. The building entrance is on Garfield.
(2) SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS RE GLASSES AND CONTACT LENSES: If you are a contact lens wearer and need a prescription for more contact lenses, please wear them to the appointment. NEW PATIENTS should also bring contact lens packages or a written prescription. ALL PATIENTS please bring your glasses.
(3) DILATION: When it is appropriate, we dilate our patients' eyes. When possible, we do so at the first visit. Please be prepared. If we are evaluating contact lenses, we usually dilate on another day if it is necessary to dilate
(4) NEW PATIENTS ONLY: Please bring in the new patient forms found on our website (see button below).
(1) FREE VALIDATED PARKING: Park in the structure at 330 E. Union St., Pasadena, CA 91101. It is a good idea to enter this address on applemaps or googlemaps. The parking lot is in back of our office building. Our office is on the fifth floor. Office address: 301 E. Colorado Blvd., #528, Pasadena, CA 91101. The building entrance is on Garfield.
(2) SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS RE GLASSES AND CONTACT LENSES: If you are a contact lens wearer and need a prescription for more contact lenses, please wear them to the appointment. NEW PATIENTS should also bring contact lens packages or a written prescription. ALL PATIENTS please bring your glasses.
(3) DILATION: When it is appropriate, we dilate our patients' eyes. When possible, we do so at the first visit. Please be prepared. If we are evaluating contact lenses, we usually dilate on another day if it is necessary to dilate
(4) NEW PATIENTS ONLY: Please bring in the new patient forms found on our website (see button below).
PREPARING FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT - MORE DETAIL
1. Patient Health Form: Print out the Welcome Packet, fill out the health form, and bring it to your appointment. Please click this button:
2. Parking and Directions: Note the location of the building and the parking directions. Please click the following button:
3. Glasses and Contact Lenses:
• PLEASE BRING YOUR GLASSES TO THE EXAM.
• IF YOU ARE RELATIVELY HAPPY WITH YOUR CONTACT LENSES, PLEASE WEAR THEM TO THE EXAM AND BRING ANY PACKAGING OR A WRITTEN CONTACT LENS PRESCRIPTION. If you HATE your contact lenses and want to try a different brand, you may wear glasses to your appointment but please still bring the contact lens packaging or the written contact lens prescription.
4. Dilation: WE OFTEN (BUT NOT ALWAYS) DILATE OUR PATIENTS' EYES AS PART OF THE ROUTINE EXAM. Read the Dilation FAQ below.
5. Computer Problems: If you are having any problems with vision or visual comfort at the computer please make sure you are sitting comfortably at your desk and MEASURE THE DISTANCE FROM YOUR EYES TO THE SCREEN, and from your eyes to paperwork.
6. Please Be on Time: We do our best to keep to our schedule and don't want to make patients wait in the waiting room for more than a few minutes. Please allow enough time for Los Angeles traffic when you plan your trip to the office. When a patient is late, there may not be enough time to finish the exam and it is very inconvenient for the next patient, because his/her exam will start and end late. If a patient is too late, it is possible that we will need to reschedule his/her exam to another day.
• PLEASE BRING YOUR GLASSES TO THE EXAM.
• IF YOU ARE RELATIVELY HAPPY WITH YOUR CONTACT LENSES, PLEASE WEAR THEM TO THE EXAM AND BRING ANY PACKAGING OR A WRITTEN CONTACT LENS PRESCRIPTION. If you HATE your contact lenses and want to try a different brand, you may wear glasses to your appointment but please still bring the contact lens packaging or the written contact lens prescription.
4. Dilation: WE OFTEN (BUT NOT ALWAYS) DILATE OUR PATIENTS' EYES AS PART OF THE ROUTINE EXAM. Read the Dilation FAQ below.
5. Computer Problems: If you are having any problems with vision or visual comfort at the computer please make sure you are sitting comfortably at your desk and MEASURE THE DISTANCE FROM YOUR EYES TO THE SCREEN, and from your eyes to paperwork.
6. Please Be on Time: We do our best to keep to our schedule and don't want to make patients wait in the waiting room for more than a few minutes. Please allow enough time for Los Angeles traffic when you plan your trip to the office. When a patient is late, there may not be enough time to finish the exam and it is very inconvenient for the next patient, because his/her exam will start and end late. If a patient is too late, it is possible that we will need to reschedule his/her exam to another day.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT PUPIL DILATION:
More Than You Ever Wanted to Know!
Many patients come to our office and are quite surprised that the doctor wants to dilate their eyes. Hopefully, this will help you know why we dilate, what to expect, and how to choose a convenient appointment time.
Q: Can I Refuse to Have My Eyes Dilated?
A: Yes, of course. However, it is possible that we will miss finding significant pathology that could be vision threatening or, on rare occasions, even life threatening.
Q: Why Do We Dilate?
A: The reason for dilation is to allow the doctor to get a better view inside the eye. The three main structures the doctor is viewing are:
The retina can have many things go wrong with it.
(a) Systemic Disease. There are many systemic problems that may cause retinal changes. A few examples include high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, cancer and drug use. However, a person may have systemic problems such as these and may have no retinal changes. On the other hand, a person may have no systemic disease and yet the doctor still may find retinal problems.
(b) Eye Disease. We are also looking for diseases specific to the eye, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, retinal detachments, vascular occlusions, pigmentary changes, and retinal membranes. Often people do not know that they may have these problems but even so, they may cause either sudden or gradual loss of vision.
Q: How Do We Dilate?
A: We use one or more dilation drops. These drops make the pupil temporarily larger (usually for 4-6 hours), allowing a better view into the eye. Some drops act on the iris sphincter muscle and tell it to relax. Other drops act on the iris dilator muscle and tell it to activate.
Q: What Are the Side Effects of Dilation?
A: Different people respond differently to dilation drops. These are general guidelines only and may not apply to you. The doctor will remind you of what side effects you should expect and will get your OK before giving you dilation drops. Pupillary dilation itself is not painful, though there are effects on vision as described below.
(a) Light Sensitivity. Everyone will notice more light sensitivity until the pupils return to normal size. If you have sunglasses, it would be good to bring them to the appointment. If you do not have sunglasses, we can provide disposable slip-in filters that go inside your regular glasses. If you don't wear glasses at all, we can give you a pair of disposable sunglasses with temples.
(b) Distance Vision. If you have not felt comfortable driving in the past after dilation, then you should bring a driver. Generally speaking, if you have good vision in both eyes and wear glasses for distance vision, you may be able to drive out of the exam wearing distance glasses. If you don't wear glasses for distance vision, you may be blurred for driving after the exam. If there is any doubt, then you may want to bring a driver. It would be unwise for anyone to plan a long drive after a dilated eye exam.
(c) Near Vision. Some nearsighted people can remove their glasses and read after being dilated. All other people will likely be blurred for reading and computer for four to six hours.
Q: If I am a Contact Lens Wearer, Will I Be Dilated?
A: Usually the various scenarios are:
Q: When Should I Schedule My Exam?
A: If you are going to be dilated, you should schedule your exam for a day when you can tolerate somewhat blurry vision for four to six hours afterwards.
Q: Who Will Likely Be Dilated?
A: Here is an incomplete list of some risk factors or other reasons that make it more likely that we will dilate your pupils: History of flashes or floaters, diagnoses of diabetes, high blood pressure or cancer, high myopia, very small pupils, reduced vision that cannot be corrected with lenses, history of eye injury, use of certain drugs that can damage the retina, or a family history of certain eye diseases. The older a person is, the more important it is to have a routine dilation because as we age, more things tend to go wrong in the body and the eyes.
Q: Who Will Likely Not Be Dilated?
A: The younger you are, the less likely you will be dilated (although sometimes it is still necessary to dilate even a child). Also, someone with very large pupils, a low prescription with excellent vision, no history of diseases, injury, unusual drug use, no unusual symptoms, and no history of family eye disease will be less likely to be dilated. Sometimes patients arrive too late to their exam and there is not enough time to perform a dilated eye exam. If the doctor suspects that you may have narrow anterior chamber angles (meaning the front part of the eye looks crowded), then we will not dilate.
Q: Do I Need to Have My Eyes Dilated At Every Single Exam?
A: Doctors disagree about this question. At our office, the answer is usually no. However, there are cases where it is important to dilate every year or even more often, if there is pathology or significant risk for pathology. For example, a person with diabetes needs, at a minimum, an annual dilated exam, but there are times where dilation needs to be done even more often.
More Than You Ever Wanted to Know!
Many patients come to our office and are quite surprised that the doctor wants to dilate their eyes. Hopefully, this will help you know why we dilate, what to expect, and how to choose a convenient appointment time.
Q: Can I Refuse to Have My Eyes Dilated?
A: Yes, of course. However, it is possible that we will miss finding significant pathology that could be vision threatening or, on rare occasions, even life threatening.
Q: Why Do We Dilate?
A: The reason for dilation is to allow the doctor to get a better view inside the eye. The three main structures the doctor is viewing are:
- The lens, which is located right behind the iris, and is only partially visible through a small pupil.
- The vitreous, which is the gel in the center of the eyeball.
- The retina, which is the delicate inner layer of the eyeball. The retina is responsible for capturing light and sending information back to the brain. It is analogous to film in an old-style camera.
The retina can have many things go wrong with it.
(a) Systemic Disease. There are many systemic problems that may cause retinal changes. A few examples include high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, cancer and drug use. However, a person may have systemic problems such as these and may have no retinal changes. On the other hand, a person may have no systemic disease and yet the doctor still may find retinal problems.
(b) Eye Disease. We are also looking for diseases specific to the eye, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, retinal detachments, vascular occlusions, pigmentary changes, and retinal membranes. Often people do not know that they may have these problems but even so, they may cause either sudden or gradual loss of vision.
Q: How Do We Dilate?
A: We use one or more dilation drops. These drops make the pupil temporarily larger (usually for 4-6 hours), allowing a better view into the eye. Some drops act on the iris sphincter muscle and tell it to relax. Other drops act on the iris dilator muscle and tell it to activate.
Q: What Are the Side Effects of Dilation?
A: Different people respond differently to dilation drops. These are general guidelines only and may not apply to you. The doctor will remind you of what side effects you should expect and will get your OK before giving you dilation drops. Pupillary dilation itself is not painful, though there are effects on vision as described below.
(a) Light Sensitivity. Everyone will notice more light sensitivity until the pupils return to normal size. If you have sunglasses, it would be good to bring them to the appointment. If you do not have sunglasses, we can provide disposable slip-in filters that go inside your regular glasses. If you don't wear glasses at all, we can give you a pair of disposable sunglasses with temples.
(b) Distance Vision. If you have not felt comfortable driving in the past after dilation, then you should bring a driver. Generally speaking, if you have good vision in both eyes and wear glasses for distance vision, you may be able to drive out of the exam wearing distance glasses. If you don't wear glasses for distance vision, you may be blurred for driving after the exam. If there is any doubt, then you may want to bring a driver. It would be unwise for anyone to plan a long drive after a dilated eye exam.
(c) Near Vision. Some nearsighted people can remove their glasses and read after being dilated. All other people will likely be blurred for reading and computer for four to six hours.
Q: If I am a Contact Lens Wearer, Will I Be Dilated?
A: Usually the various scenarios are:
- If you are a contact lens wearer and we will be evaluating contact lenses on the day of your appointment, then we probably will dilate on another day if it is appropriate to do so.
- If it is urgent to dilate (e.g. if you are having symptoms that are suggestive of an urgent ocular or health problem), then we may postpone the contact lens portion of the exam to another day and dilate on the day of your first visit.
Q: When Should I Schedule My Exam?
A: If you are going to be dilated, you should schedule your exam for a day when you can tolerate somewhat blurry vision for four to six hours afterwards.
Q: Who Will Likely Be Dilated?
A: Here is an incomplete list of some risk factors or other reasons that make it more likely that we will dilate your pupils: History of flashes or floaters, diagnoses of diabetes, high blood pressure or cancer, high myopia, very small pupils, reduced vision that cannot be corrected with lenses, history of eye injury, use of certain drugs that can damage the retina, or a family history of certain eye diseases. The older a person is, the more important it is to have a routine dilation because as we age, more things tend to go wrong in the body and the eyes.
Q: Who Will Likely Not Be Dilated?
A: The younger you are, the less likely you will be dilated (although sometimes it is still necessary to dilate even a child). Also, someone with very large pupils, a low prescription with excellent vision, no history of diseases, injury, unusual drug use, no unusual symptoms, and no history of family eye disease will be less likely to be dilated. Sometimes patients arrive too late to their exam and there is not enough time to perform a dilated eye exam. If the doctor suspects that you may have narrow anterior chamber angles (meaning the front part of the eye looks crowded), then we will not dilate.
Q: Do I Need to Have My Eyes Dilated At Every Single Exam?
A: Doctors disagree about this question. At our office, the answer is usually no. However, there are cases where it is important to dilate every year or even more often, if there is pathology or significant risk for pathology. For example, a person with diabetes needs, at a minimum, an annual dilated exam, but there are times where dilation needs to be done even more often.