Why does the doctor give me eye drops during my consultation

Mr. Arthur Cummings Explains

May 24, 2018

Why does the doctor give me eye drops during my consultation-picture

We are often asked why does the Surgeon give eye drops during the Consultation? 

Arthur Cummings Consultant Eye Surgeon at the Wellington Eye Clinic explains.

It can be a bit inconvenient not being able to drive after your Consultation for laser eye surgery. So why exactly does the Consultant Surgeon give you drops during you first visit to the Wellington Eye Clinic?

There are two reasons why you get eye drops during the Consultation.

The first reason is to make sure that your eye drops are healthy.
If you do not dilate the pupils and make them wide you cannot see inside the eye.

The second reason is that a standard eye test is subjective. So when your eyes are being examined you are asked if you prefer one lens to another, or asked if red is better than green.

This is because your lens has the ability to move inside your eye. So we never know which exactly which is the right correction for you.

In addition to widening the pupil, the drop also paralyses the lens.
So by repeating the tests when the lens is paralysed you are confirming that the original readings are the correct measurements