Eye examination & driving
Discussion
I have received an appointment for an eye examination in which it states that they will have to use drops to dilate the pupils & that I should not drive for four hours. That's going to be very difficult to do as it's not practical for me to get to the clinic except by car. Is there any particular reason why I can't drive & could I just get away with wearing sunglasses to cut down the brightness (if that's the potential issue).
Mr Pointy said:
I have received an appointment for an eye examination in which it states that they will have to use drops to dilate the pupils & that I should not drive for four hours. That's going to be very difficult to do as it's not practical for me to get to the clinic except by car. Is there any particular reason why I can't drive & could I just get away with wearing sunglasses to cut down the brightness (if that's the potential issue).
The drops will most likely blur your vision also - so its not a good idea to drive. They don't last long though - anything near the clinic you could see/do for a couple of hours until the blurring is gone?
I wouldn't be sticking my fingers in my eyes while driving. Just asking for trouble...
Anyhow, had a similar thing before and I have no idea why they said wait 6 hours for me. My eyes were fine. Maybe it is one of those pointless legal things to cover their arse in case you plow your car into something on the way home.
Anyhow, had a similar thing before and I have no idea why they said wait 6 hours for me. My eyes were fine. Maybe it is one of those pointless legal things to cover their arse in case you plow your car into something on the way home.
Sunglasses do help with the brightness but the drops mean you can't make your eyes focus on anything, especially close up.
I have them once a year, last time back in October I went shopping afterwards. Could see the big name signs of the shops I was entering but couldn't read anything on the products I picked up.
It takes various times for them to wear off for each person but certainly not worth chancing driving for a few hours at least.
I have them once a year, last time back in October I went shopping afterwards. Could see the big name signs of the shops I was entering but couldn't read anything on the products I picked up.
It takes various times for them to wear off for each person but certainly not worth chancing driving for a few hours at least.
Edited by Chocmonster on Saturday 15th January 16:19
Is this a private consultation or via your NHS provider? If it's private, you'd be wise to heed their advice. Taking to the road not only puts you at risk but also other road users. If it's NHS, you may be entitled to transport arranged via the department who is dealing with you. Hope it goes well.
rog007 said:
Is this a private consultation or via your NHS provider? If it's private, you'd be wise to heed their advice. Taking to the road not only puts you at risk but also other road users. If it's NHS, you may be entitled to transport arranged via the department who is dealing with you. Hope it goes well.
No, he wouldn't be entitled to transport because of having his pupils dilated. We dilate the pupils of most of the patients we see in clinic, if we paid for transport for all of them, the NHS would be bankrupted quickly. The issue is that dilating the pupil affects depth perception. Legally it's a bit of a grey area, in that it's not illegal to drive, but it's inadvisable and most insurance companies will not cover you if they discover this fact. My advice is to get a taxi or a bus. There is nearly always a bus service which will take you to the local hospital.
Thanks to everyone for the advice. As it turns out they didn't use the dilating drops so it wasn't a problem. She did numb the surface of the eyeball though so she could measure the pressure but I didn't realise until I was trying to put my contact lenses back in & couldn't judge where my eyeball was. A very odd feeling.
I've had dilation drops 6-7 times in the past few months as various opthalmic types try to discover what is causing some blurring with my vision.
The first time it happened I had no idea what I was in for and had driven myself to the hospital. Fortunately (The New Vic in Kingston) this is only about 2 miles from home, so I waited around for a bit and then drove home carefully. As 968 said, depth perception is what is affected - much like if you use a camera lense with an aperture opened wide, it gives you focus but over a narrow depth of field.
I must say that since then I've driven myself home after every appointment, although I won't do if there's a risk of my insurance being invalidated. I find that my middle to infinity distance is fine, but that what is on the speedo in front of me is a little blurred. I'm seeing a pretty good consultant though, and I think that he uses the bare minimum of drops necessary. Either that or I'm getting used to the sensation now, because it seems to take a lot less time to recover normal vision each time I'm dilated.
Dilation isn't pleasant, but I think I can see the end in sight (no pun intended) with my condition so hopefully won't have to have it too many more times.
The first time it happened I had no idea what I was in for and had driven myself to the hospital. Fortunately (The New Vic in Kingston) this is only about 2 miles from home, so I waited around for a bit and then drove home carefully. As 968 said, depth perception is what is affected - much like if you use a camera lense with an aperture opened wide, it gives you focus but over a narrow depth of field.
I must say that since then I've driven myself home after every appointment, although I won't do if there's a risk of my insurance being invalidated. I find that my middle to infinity distance is fine, but that what is on the speedo in front of me is a little blurred. I'm seeing a pretty good consultant though, and I think that he uses the bare minimum of drops necessary. Either that or I'm getting used to the sensation now, because it seems to take a lot less time to recover normal vision each time I'm dilated.
Dilation isn't pleasant, but I think I can see the end in sight (no pun intended) with my condition so hopefully won't have to have it too many more times.
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