By Dr. Sandy Carman
Are you delaying your yearly eye exam because you’re worried that you won’t be able to drive home after the appointment? The truth is that you might be able to drive home after your eye care appointment. The determining factor is whether or not your eyes were dilated. Let’s break down when it’s safe to drive yourself and when you’ll want to have someone else drive you, like a family member, friend or rideshare service.
Comprehensive eye exams that include eye dilation can lead to temporary vision issues. This is because eye dilation drops widen your pupils, which allows more light into your eye.
Having your eyes dilated helps ensure that your Atlanta ophthalmologist can see the structures at the back of your eye, like your retina and optic nerve, as well as the blood vessels. Dilated eye exams can help diagnose certain eye diseases early, like macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, and retinal tears and detachment. It’s also used to help diagnose cataracts and to determine if high eye pressure (glaucoma) is damaging your optic nerve.
If your eyes are dilated during your exam, you can expect temporary vision changes, like blurry vision and light sensitivity, that may reduce your visual acuity below what’s considered safe to drive, which is 20/60 on the Snellen eye chart. This is why eye doctors recommend finding alternative transportation to and from comprehensive eye appointments.
It’s not considered safe to drive after an eye exam that includes a dilated vision exam. The drops that are used to dilate your pupils typically cause:
Driving difficulties can be further exacerbated if you’re driving at night or in bright sunlight and on unfamiliar roads, and even if you are driving in your local area, you’ll still have difficulty seeing and recognizing road hazards.
Dilating eye drops typically take between four and six hours to wear off. However, the exact timeframe can vary significantly. For example, people with lighter-colored eyes or larger pupils may experience symptoms from the eye drops for up to 72 hours. Additionally, children often need stronger dilating drops than adults, so the effects of the dilating drops in children may last longer.
When it comes to determining if you should drive, it’s best to be cautious. If you’ve never had your eyes dilated before, Thomas Eye Group recommends that you arrange for someone to drive you to and from the appointment. Additionally, if you’ve had a particularly strong reaction to the dilating drops, even if you’ve had your eyes dilated before, it’s best to call for a cab or rideshare rather than risk driving yourself home. You can always talk to the clinic and tell them that you’re leaving your car in the lot overnight and will get it the next day.
Most people can resume driving the day after their appointments. If the drops do take longer than usual to wear off, you can always call our Atlanta clinic for additional advice and a follow-up examination.
The best way of getting home safely after a dilated eye exam is to arrange for transportation to and from your appointment with a taxi or rideshare service or via a friend or relative. If all else fails, and you must drive yourself, consider bringing sunglasses or post-dilation glasses with you. We also have post-dilation glasses at our Georgia eye care clinics.
If you have work or errands to accomplish, we recommend scheduling your appointment early in the day and your other obligations in the afternoon, once your vision starts to return to normal.
Georgia vision requirements state that drivers must have at least 20/60 corrected or uncorrected vision in at least one eye and a 140-degree field of vision in order to legally drive in the state. Dilation eye drops can temporarily reduce visual acuity to below the legal requirements of the state of Georgia. This means that in order to stay legal while on the road, it’s best to not drive until the effects have worn off, and you can see clearly once again.
You should absolutely tell your eye doctor in Atlanta if you need to drive directly after your exam, and you should tell your ophthalmologist at the beginning of your appointment so that you aren’t accidentally given any dilation eye drops.
It’s important to note that the dilation part of the comprehensive eye exam isn’t always mandatory, and you don’t always need a dilated exam. In general, individuals who are 65 or older should get a dilated eye exam every one to two years if they don’t have a family history of eye diseases or an eye disease diagnosis. Certain ethnic groups, like Hispanics and African Americans, are considered to be at a higher risk for certain eye diseases and should get a dilated eye exam every one to three years once they turn 40, and every one to two years after the age of 55. If you have a personal or family history of eye disease, our ophthalmologists can help determine the right eye dilation schedule for your eye health.
You can refuse the eye dilation part of the exam. However, if you’re visiting a new eye doctor, he or she will want to perform a dilated eye exam so that they have a baseline by which to base future dilation exams. Additionally, if you have certain conditions, like high blood pressure or diabetes, or a family history of eye diseases, your eye doctor will want to perform a dilated eye exam in order to check the health of your retina, macula and optic nerve.
Fortunately, if you do not have a pre-existing condition like diabetes, dilation may not be necessary for your eye exam. Thanks to tools like Zeiss’ Clarus technology line, our eye doctors are oftentimes able to conduct an eye exam without the use of dilation.
In order to stay as safe as possible, arrange a ride to and from your eye exam appointment. For your comfort, remember to bring a pair of sunglasses. They’ll help reduce the amount of light that enters your eyes. If you don’t have sunglasses, we have post-dilation glasses available. After your exam, it’s best to rest for a few hours in a low-lit room. Once your vision has returned to normal, you can resume your daily activities, including driving.
E. Edward “Sandy” Carman, OD, is a board-licensed Comprehensive Optometrist. He offers a range of services including comprehensive eye exams with prescriptions for eyeglasses and contact lenses, and treatment of various ocular conditions such as dry eye disease, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic eye disease, among others.
