Normally, your pupils will dilate when it is dark outside and will shrink when there is a lot of sunlight. However, you might suffer from a medical condition that causes your eyes not to dilate properly. This might lead to your eyes taking in too much sunlight or it may prevent you from seeing in the dark. You will want to go for an eye exam as soon as possible. But fortunately, there are things you can do in the meantime.

Controlling Dilation

If you would like to dilate your pupils, try to imagine a dark room. Simply imagining darkness causes your pupils to widen temporarily. You could also face a darker part of the room. If your eyes are dilating too much, you might want to wear sunglasses to protect them from sunlight. If you try to focus too much on objects that are far away, it can cause your eyes to dilate and can also place strain on your eyes.

Seeing an Eye Doctor

The best way to control pupil dilation is to treat the root cause. This will require a trip to an eye doctor. Your dilated pupils might only have a temporary cause, or they might affect you for the long-term because they are influenced by a stroke you had in the past or medicine that you are currently taking.

Changing Your Medication

If medications that you are currently taking are causing your pupils to dilate, ask your doctor if there is an alternative medicine you can take that won't carry the same side effect. Given that most medicines have side effects, you will need to weigh the pros and cons of each side effect to determine which ones you are willing to live with.

Controlling Anxiety

When you feel excited, your pupils dilate. Therefore, if you can calm yourself down, you might be able to influence your pupils. Try engaging in deep breathing exercises to help calm you down. If you are not able to calm yourself down on your own, consult with your doctor on whether you need anti-anxiety medication.

Using Eye Drops

If your eyes are frequently irritated, rubbing them can cause your eyes to become dilated. You should consult with your eye care specialist to determine if there are more effective eye drops that you could use to treat your eye irritation. The act of rubbing your eyes by itself can be bad for your eyes.

Talk with an eye care specialist, like Envision Eyecare - Dr. Erika Duggan and Dr. Marilyn Lehrner, to see what the source and treatment of your pupil dilation problems may be. 

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