Second Opinoin

[Neke]

A little concerned I woke up Monday morning with mattery right eye.  I used some of my son's eye drops he had for an eye injury.  My pupil became dialated I saw a eye doctor on Tuesday.  He in turn provided some type of eye drops for an eye infection and said my pupil should go back to normal in a couple of days.

Should I worry today being Thursday and my pupil is still dialated?

Shoudl I seek further medical attention or does the eye takes a moment to shrink?

[Neke]

The drops I used did have a red top.  I will take your advice and picth my son's drops.

Thanks

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Hello Neke  Please excuse the capital letters but I want all readers to note this. DO NOT USE ANY OTHER PERSON'S MEDICATIONS, PILLS, EYEDROPS OR EYE OINTMENTS WITHOUT CONSULTING A PHYSICIAN FIRST. IT'S ALWAYS A BAD IDEA AND BAD THINGS HAPPEN.

How long your pupil remains dilated depends on what you put in your eye, how much you put in your eye and how fast your eye metabolizes the medication.

If the drop had a red top and was atropine your pupil could be dilated for two weeks, if it was homatropine it could be dilated 7-10 days.

There's nothing that will make the medicine wear off sooner. There are drops to constrict the pupil but they have side effects and often cause pain in the eye.  Live and learn. Pitch your son's drops.

JCH III MD   Eye MD Ophthalmologist