Children need stronger drops than adults to measure their need for glasses ( refractive errors in children), so eyes may stay dilated longer for children than they do for adults. It is not unusual for the drops to get in one eye better than the other, so don’t be worried if the pupils are not the exact same size when they are dilated. How long the drops last depends on how strong the drop is and type of the drop, and on how the person reacts to the drops. Dilation or a larger pupil size can last longer (24-72 hours) in people with lighter colored eyes. This usually lasts anywhere from 4 to 24 hours. HOW LONG DO DILATING DROPS LAST?ĭilating eye drops used for looking at the eyes will make the vision blurry, especially when focusing on things close up.

In some cases, dilating eye drops are also used to treat eye problems, such as amblyopia, inflammation, and nearsightedness ( myopia). Also, relaxing the focusing muscles of the eye with the eyedrops is the best way for the ophthalmologist to check whether a child needs glasses ( refractive error glasses for children). This is a normal response to light but does not allow for a good examination of the inside of the eye. 2: Cyclopentolate (Cyclogyl), a commonly-used dilating eye drop that makes the pupil large and relaxes the eye’s ability to focus.Ī large pupil from dilating drops allows the ophthalmologist to see the inside of the eye (parts of the eye behind the iris) and diagnose many different eye problems. Without the eye drops, the pupil becomes very small when an ophthalmologist shines a light in the eye. 1: Photo of an eye with a dilated pupil.įig. The two kinds of drops are usually used together, either as two separate drops, as a single combination drop, or as a spray.įig.

All these changes to the eye are temporary, and usually last for a short amount of time (see “How long do dilating drops last?” below). There are two main types of drops that work on the pupil. One type makes the pupil bigger (dilation). The other type relaxes the eye’s ability to focus (cycloplegia). Print Version WHAT ARE DILATING EYE DROPS?ĭilating eye drops make the pupil of the eye bigger. The pupil is the black circle in the center of the colored part of the eye (iris).

Normal pupil size chart children