Floaters after eye dilation

The day after getting an eye dilation exam, I noticed a large cobweb floater in one of my eyes.  I didn't connect the two at first until I realized it happened consistently.  I now have large cobweb floaters in both of my eyes that keep getting bigger with each exam ... it's been about 8 years since my first dilation exam and they are not getting any better.  Has anyone heard of this before?  My eye doctors recommend that I keep getting the exams but I'm worried.

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

It's not because of the dilation. It's because you are 8 years older. Use the search feature and read about floaters. More as we get older
JCH MD

[kukulski]

I understand that floaters increase with age (I've read about a hundred articles that all pretty much say the same thing) ... but I also know that at age 24 I walked in for my first eye exam with no floaters.  The next day, this stringy black mass appeared in my left eye ... extending pretty much from the top of my peripheral vision to the bottom.  At the time, I connected it more to the eye doctor making some mistake and not the eye exam so I stopped going there.  Several years later (and no new floaters), I found another eye doctor and had another eye exam and the next day a long string appeared in my right eye ... that is when I realized that it was not the doctor but something about the exam.  All the doubt I had that this might just be a weird coincidence was cleared when I scheduled another exam with a specialist and had the floaters appear again.  I'm just trying to figure out the connection between the two but can't find the answer ... I've found a few similar posts but with no answers.  I know the exams are important, but at this rate, I won't be able to see well enough to drive when I'm 35.

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

You certainly can believe what you wish but none of the medications used for dilation cause floaters.  

JCH MD

[chipstrios1]

I too developed eye floaters after my first exam as well. Never had any problems till now with my eyes. I can see if if was only only one eye, but my floaters developed in both eyes at the same time after my first ever eye exam ever. I'm 29 years old. It is depressing. I can also see if I noticed a sudden increase in them but no, they just appeared right after my exam.

[GaryV]

I found this thread after doing a search, because I just had my eyes dilated during an exam yesterday and today I'm noticing floaters that were never there before. I'm quite positive that it's from the exam. I'm over 40 years old - and it would be quite a coincidence that in my nearly 15,000 days of life here on this earth, that floaters appear the day after my exam.

[punatiesgirl]

I developed floaters and extreme light sensitivity 24 hrs after my first eye exam in 20
years. I know it's no coincidence and I resent the arrogance of doctors who
say this is impossible. I went for the exam because of entopion.
a condition that can cause dry irritation. Now I have 2 new problems I never
had before

[lizbethjeane]

I think perhaps it is the combination of dilation and the extremely bright light used to examine the eyes that is the cause.  The first time both were done was to determine the cause of a tiny black spot - the Dr. said it was a vitreous detachment.  The next day, I had lines in both eyes.  I had not had anything in the right eye before the exam.  I thought it was a coincidence so went for the same exam the following 2 years.  Each time - the NEXT day I had almost double the lines/dots in both eyes.  This past one was the worst.  My right eye is full of squiggly lines and dots.  It is VERY difficult to focus around them and I am a reading teacher!  I will not have this exam again.  I cannot afford to lose the little areas of unobstructed vision I have left.  I am extremely near-sighted and also farsighted.

[letty275]

7 years ago I had an eye exam.   On my way home, the right eye burned and felt like it was scratched..  I went back for a follow up visit but was told they could find nothing on the eye then  give me drops. It went away in a few weeks but felt terrible.

2 weeks ago I decided to go for an exam (different doctor) he asked me if I had floaters which I then asked, " what are they"  Exam completed and was told my eyes are healthy.  Tthe next day I had a gray shadow which was very bothersome.  I went back to the doctor who told me it was a floater and there is nothing you can do because it is age related. I did not have this before my eye exam.  Then next day the right eye developed black squiggly lines.  I can not believe this is due to age but how can one prove this without a medical experience.

[jaideepg]

The same thing has happened to me.  in july 2011 had no floaters, had the eyes dialted.  asked to come back 2 weeks later due to dry eye issues, and bam floaters started appearing.  Then in Jan 2012 2 weeks after my eye appt again more floaters.  it seems right after my eyes get dialted floaters have been appearing.  

[jaideepg]

Also when you tell a doctor such as the guy in this forum in the above posts, they don't believe you but they don't know EVERYTHING.  

There are so many things people complain about and doctors think they know 100% but they don't.  Just because it doesn't happen to everyone it may happen to 2% of the population for example.  

Doctors should start taking these complaints into account and see if they can find a trend of it happening to people rather than bashing them.

[waitara]

Same happened to me. I never had floaters until I had an eye test. The dilation drops really hurt my eyes and I rinsed them copiously when I got home. My left eye recovered from being sore next day but my right eye was still sore and blurred. Then the floaters appeared in my right eye a week later. Three weeks later they were worse, blurring vision, this time accompanied by flashes of light. I'm going to the doctor's with the problem next week

[1UniqueUserName]

Most Doctors tend to go along with whatever they are indoctrinated with, with during their many years of education. Those are the same doctors prescribing medications, many of which, do more harm than good, which is a clear violation of The Hippocratic Oath (First, do no harm). We live in an unnatural society today, with people pumped full of psychoactive drugs, it's no wonder so many are going nuts and becoming violent. Back to my point, most doctors and pharmacists go along with the brainwashing they receive in medical school, handing out pills for everything. At the same time, they frown on any natural approach to wellness on the part of the patient.
Getting back on topic...several weeks ago, I had my first dilated eye exam. As they were about to put drops in my eyes, and explained what the drops were for, I made it clear that I had never had a dilated eye exam. The technician acted like it was no big deal and I figured they are doing this to millions of patients around the world and I am just behind the times, so I went along with it. After the exam, I was about to leave, but despite having very dark sunglasses with me, I was totally blinded upon exiting the building and couldn't even focus on the cars for the sun beating down on them. I went back inside and they gave me reversal drops (which is a joke - because those drops take hours to reverse anything). My eyes felt heavy for the balance of the week. I can see about the same as before the drops, however, my eyes sometimes feel heavy and irritated like they did following that dilation procedure. I am not against scientific progress, but I think the general public is just too quick to trust the latest so-called advancements in medicine. I believe that the dilation procedure may be just fine for millions of people, but maybe there are millions more who's eyes don't fit into the box of their safety studies. Everyone is unique, so maybe this dilation procedure is not such a good idea for all of us. I have made a personal choice to never have it performed again, as I think it's dangerous to play around with our vision. Also, I understand those drops to be toxic and that they kill cells within the eye.

[leo88]

In my case, the floats also appeared after a dilated eye exam. I had 5 exams in a year and in that year the floaters deteriorated massively. I am from Argentina, Sudamerica.

[leo88]

In my case, the floats also appeared after a dilated eye exam. I had 5 exams in a year and in that year the floaters deteriorated massively. I am from Argentina, Sudamerica.

[Jwats1973]

As a technician in the industry for the past 20 years perhaps I can clear some things up. The drops we use at UVA and in most offices are Tropicamide and Phenylephrine hardly toxic but you can look them up on the google if you like.

What you endured was called a cycloplegic exam.  Often a technician will need to stop the eyes’ ability to auto-focus or accommodate in order to determine a person’s true prescription for glasses. To do this, we use a cycloplegic eye drop. The drop temporarily paralyzes the ciliary muscle inside the eye, this muscle is attached to the crystalline lens of the eye and it contracts or relaxes to make the lens change its shape. When the lens can no longer change its shape, there is no opportunity for the person to auto-focus and what you are left with is the best measurement of a person’s refractive error, in other words, their true, most accurate, glasses prescription.

Perhaps you were hypersensitive to the drops and the effects lingered for days? Indeed there  ARE eye drops (Cyclogyl) that will cause prolonged dilation and even cycloplegia in adults. If one of these was administered by mistake you could feel the effects for days...tho there would be no permanent damage.

The other day I took a picture of a guys retina that had a fairly large melanoma in it...this is a VERY deadly cancer due to it's proximity to the brain. The man was there for a routine check up, glasses etc and agreed to be dilated.

You can of coarse choose to defer a dilated exam, if you only need glasses and have no care to have the latter 75% of your eyeballs examined just let the tech know.

[Charlie72555]

As someone who recently had my eyes examined, dilated a week later & now have dot & stringy floaters that I DID NOT HAVE prior to having eyes dilated I am having a hard time not seeing the cause being the dilation process!! After the basic exam (my husband & I had our eye exam on same day, he had his eyes dilated day of exam so I waited a week for my dilation part so that I could drive us home) my eyes felt fine, no floaters, strings, pain...then a week later, after my dilation process my eyes stung as well as felt itchy  (which I told the examiner & was told that was normal). I thought, OK, normal...all good, then slightly increased prescription glasses arrived & I started wearing thinking things would get better...but as time went on my eyes felt worse, various floater styles appeared in my left eye, both eyes felt swollen & strained as well as bothersome! Went back to old glasses/prescription HOPING that would help. Well, thank God the right eye started feeling better BUT, the left eye did not! Called the eye examiner facility, explained my issue, got in as soon as they could see me, was told prescription correct, eyes look fine, was told that it was likely a "coincidence" of my age (57) & timing of my dilation exam! I still have these stringy & dot like floaters STILL appearing in my left eye of which I did NOT have prior to my exam AND I was the same age before my exam as I was after...the ONLY addition to my eye was the dilation chemical! Coincidence, I think NOT! So, now my question is seeing I am NOT the only one who is dealing with the issue AFTER having eyes dilated & some are younger I wonder IF anyone is looking into this "COINCIDENCE"!?!? I now "get" to go see an Ophthalmologist as soon as one can see me AND I can afford the visit to see what, why, how this happened to my eye! Sadly the stringy/dot floaters are so bothersome I just want to stay in the dark where they are not as noticeable! Too try to make someone believe this is  'JUST A COINCIDENCE' is shameful by any one in the know for OBVIOUSLY it is not...ANY is too many to having this 'coincidence'! Praying to God to find way to reverse the damage done by this year's eye exam! Charlie

[crazt]

I went for an eye exam back in January of this year. Doctor tested me for all different kind of eye disease. I refused to have my eyes dilated because it freaked me out. After that exam, I was seeing floaters and cobwebs everyday. After about a month, I called the eye doctor and they told me to come in and I would need to be dilated. Everything checked out fine and the doctor told me they were just floaters. He also said if there were any changes to my floaters, flashes of light. or a curtain veil to come back in right away. Everything has been the same since then. I still cannot stand that I see these floaters everyday.  I definitely think the lights and drop they use wake up the floaters in your eyes.  Because why do they say always wear sunglasses out in the sun.  So when they use those lights, drops, or take an xray with that opto machine, how can that be good for your eyes?