When is the sun a concern with regards to dilated pupils?

[Thisisaline]

Hi Doctors,

A few days ago I went for a dilated eye exam and was only told not to drive. I was allowed to leave the clinic at about 12 noon, and where I am, that means the sun was absolutely blazing as it was, let alone with my dilated eyes. I did not have sunglasses and neither was I provided one by the clinic, but it was only later on that I became somewhat concerned about this.

It has since come to my attention that on the one hand, it is fairly common for clinics, like mine, to allow patients with dilated pupils to leave without eye protection with only discomfort being cited as an issue. However, on the other hand, other sources and clinics place some emphasis on the heightened risks of exposure to sunlight, providing and recommending the use of eye protection after pupil dilation. I am only aware from previous posts that you, the doctors on this forum, have only said it to be unlikely that the sun should do any damage to dilated eyes without protection. Why the ambiguity regarding this issue, perhaps you would care to explain.

However my main questions are;

With such ambiguity surrounding the use of eye protection after pupil dilation, at what point or under what circumstances does sun exposure become a concern for those with dilated pupils after an eye exam?

How can I be certain that I should be alright after exposure to strong mid-day sun with my pupils dilated?


Thank you for your time.

[bdkilgore]

A related discussion, Eyes dilated was started.

[Thisisaline]

Thank you so much for your comprehensive answer Dr Kutryb.

I understand what you mean about UV harm, but I was also wondering about retinal burn?
With so much really bright sunlight entering my eyes at once, reflecting off the sidewalk, and so on, is retinal burn not a concern? If not, why?

Thank you

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

It's not the sun exposure that is the issue.  It takes far more than a few hours or few days or few years to get the kind of uv harm that you are worried about.  The concern is that you cannot see well or function properly sometimes with all the light and glare and it could be difficult to drive or even walk down the sidewalk.. It is imperative that we give our patients disposable sunglasses to use after a dilated exam, or make sure they have their own.  It is a rule at our office.  Some offices even make patients sign a disclaimer also in order to protect from liability if they have an accident or something.  You can see the liability issue can't you but it's not from sun damage it would be from bodily injury and such.