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Dilated Eye Exam – Why You Need One

March 5, 2018

A comprehensive eye exam consists of two parts: the undilated section of the exam and the dilated section. While the undilated eye exam looks at the front part of the eye (pupils, iris, and cornea), the dilated exam goes a bit further to reveal the status of the inner part of the eye, which is comprised of the retina and the optic nerve. The main difference between the two exams is that in order to see through the inner part of the eye, the doctor must use special eye drops to dilate the pupil.

At Beach Eye Medical Group, with locations in Irvine and Huntington Beach, CA, comprehensive eye exams are performed on a daily basis. Our highly trained eye experts aim to identify at-risk patients by performing both undilated and dilated exams, which enables them to provide patients with key recommendations to prevent further vision degradation.

Who should have a dilated eye exam?

People aged 60 and above. According to the National Eye Institute, all persons above 60 years old should undergo a comprehensive eye exam at least once a year.

Diabetics. Diabetic Retinopathy is defined as a complication of diabetes, caused by uncontrolled blood sugar levels. Once diagnosed, people with diabetes should get their eyes checked by having a comprehensive eye exam at least once a year to prevent vision loss.

African Americans. Due to a higher risk of developing glaucoma, African Americans are encouraged to start scheduling an annual comprehensive eye exam at the age of 40.

What conditions can be diagnosed with the dilated eye exam?

A thorough dilated eye exam performed by one of our eye care professionals at Beach Eye Medical Group in Irvine and Huntington Beach, CA, can provide a diagnosis for the following eye/vision problems in their early stages:

How is a dilated eye exam performed?

Special eye drops are used to dilate the pupil and see the inner part of the eye. A dilated pupil means more light can come through the eye and enable the visualization of the macula, retina and optic nerve.
Tonometry is used to test the eye’s pressure and test for Glaucoma.
A visual field test is done to measures a patient’s peripheral vision.
A visual acuity test is performed to measure a patient’s ability to see at various distances.

While a regular eye exam may be sufficient for young, healthy individuals, a dilated eye exam is essential for a certain high-risk population in order to prevent the onset of and worsening of various eye ailments.

Your eyes are an important part of your body, so be sure to take care of them. A dilated eye exam is a fairly easy way to get an idea of how your eyes are faring against disease and aging. Make an appointment with the Beach Eye Medical Group at either our Irvine or Huntington Beach location. Speak with a member of our team who would be happy to help you with any questions.

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Todd Montgomery

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Very efficient and effortless service. They are always on time. Billing and follow-up questions an be laborious

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Lorrie Glenn

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I did not have to wait - saw the doctor very close to my appointment time. Every staff member was courteous and willing to answer questions. Dr Do is simply the best. She has a calming effect, provides explanations, and is truly professional!I went back to Beach Eye for an optometric appointment with Dr Semaan.Dr.Semaan was very calming and reassuring. I appreciate his professionalism and patience very much. Erica, who helped with selection and processing of glasses and frame selection, was so very pleasant and helpful in my selection. She was very patient in explaining the billing and process. Once again, Beach Eye hits it out of the park!

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Dr Do put me right at ease during an intimidating eye procedure. Her professionalism and kind bedside manner coupled with her expertise is unrivaled.

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Absolutely 5+stars -- Excellent staffs and services -- Learned a lot from Dr. Semaan

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Gary Gonzales

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There is simply no better medical care than Beach Eye. I had cataracts removed, along with all my eye care needs, including glaucoma checks.

Cathy

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I figured they had to work me in to the schedule so quickly so I understand completely that the wait took longer. The front and back office staff were very nice and answered any questions I had. The doctor was equally nice and was very confident in my diagnosis and even though he is leaving this practice, he made sure his colleagues would be available for me.

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Excellent

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HANSIMPORTS

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Best doctors.#1 Dr Do

Robert Tamura

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Excellent feed back on my glaucoma pressure need lazer surgery to correct pressure on eye opt out instead of having to use eye drops. Thanks Dr. Do

Tom Navarro

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Excellent Doctor and excellent staff!

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Ben Corona

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I recommend this medical group which has taken care of my eyes. Dr. Do and the staff are very friendly, professional and caring.

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Excellent customer service with friendly, kind and professional techs. Dr. Do was attentive, thorough and happy to answer my questions. This was my first visit with Dr. Do since my former opthomologist retired. I'm confident that she will be a very capable caregiver.On my second visit, I also received kind and thorough care from Dr Do and her staff, especially Samantha and Jessica.Today, my third visit, I had a procedure to alleviate possible pressure issues in my right eye. As always, the staff and Dr Do were friendly, efficient and professional.

janet rapaport

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I have recommended Dr.Samir and Beach Eye to many people. My cataract surgery was flawless. Thank you.

Denise Lewis

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I didn’t have to wait long. The ophthalmologist was friendly and informative.

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Nice people and excellent care providers. !!Very accommodative, courteous and comforting Dr. Sameer and his excellent staff personnels. Thanks.

Patrick Allen

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As usual I enjoyed my visit. The staff and Drs. Always have a great attitude and are prepared and helpful.

JIM LANGDON

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Kind, Courteous, Respectful, ENGAGED, a pleasure to have as my ophthalmologist. Thank you so much. Audrea Langdon

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Best eye doctor in town, Anna Do!!

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I APPRECIATE DR DO, SHE EXPLAINS THINGS TO ME AND NEL, I'VE KNOWN ALONG TIME AND SHE ALSO IS REALLY KINDTHE STAFF IS NICE & PLEASANT. THANK YOU, SANDY HOLLOWAY

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Dr Seamon is the best!

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Very friendly staff, They answered all my questions. Highly recommend Dr Kim

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Courteous and knowledgeable staff. Dr. Do’s expertise is very much appreciated.

Kathy Micheaels

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Beach Eye Medical is a great place to get your eyes examined. They provide a very thorough eye exam through various testing. All the staff and the doctors I have seen at this facility have been very friendly, caring and professional.

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The doctor is great definitely a 5 and top of her medical profession. Unfortunately I had to wait in the waiting for 45-55 minutes before being seen by the doctor. If you don’t mind the wait it’s the best eye doctor group in the OC.

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I love my doctor. Dr. Do is caring and is concerned about my health. She explains to you what is happening with your eyes and also listens to your concerns regarding your care. I would highly recommend her as your doctor. The only problem is with the way their system notifies you regarding your appointment. They need a better system or need to contact the patients a different way than currently. I liked the old system better than the new system.

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The Dr. and staff were awesome. My only gripe is that I only carry a credit card and I was told at the office there would be a fee for using it. Cash, debit or check would not have had this. I believe they should have informed me in the many texts they sent me to remind me of my appointment.

Rick Gregory

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Great experience. Loved Dr Semaan's approach. He explained all my options well and gave me a great sense of confidence. Thank you!

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Tony Parker

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I had the cataract lens replacement surgery with the light adjustable lenses. Dr Do and her team were excellent and I am very happy with the results. I highly recommend Dr Do and Beach Eye Medical.

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Very kindly

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Even though I was late for my appointment I was seen promptly, the staff & testing and information about my problem, the answers to my questions were completely answered & covered, I highly recommend Bea h Eye Medical Group!Wed 11-06-24Highly recommend again!

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Very professional and the staff was very pleasant. I think I found my new eye Doctor and the staff.

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Very nice office. Friendly, professional staff. Taken on time. The assistant who ran preliminary tests was friendly and professional. Dr Do was very thorough and discussed everything in detail.

Carol Martling

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Beach Eye Medical Group goes beyond to give incredible service. My cataract surgery on my right eye was flawless and Samir A Shah did the cutting by hand to remove my cataract. I am now at day 13 and no adverse ar all. I have better long distance vision than anytime in my life . I wore glasses or contacts from age 4. When my left eye cataract is removed in two weeks that new lense will be for my reading vision only.

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I Usman

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My appointment at 8:30 but I was not called in for exam until 9:45. by the time I was out of the office it was10:20, I lost over all most two hours of work time and now traffic and commute time will increase. It is 1:45 and my eyes are still blurry and cant's see screen clear. One hour's worth of work taking double the time. I wish they had explained, now checking google it may take 4-24 hours when blurriness of eyes and or severe sensitivity from light will go away... May be they are good for people who do not work or I was lucky to have this treatment? After appointment I receive several calls and text messages week before the appointments from different different numbers. Even though I requested to cut it down to only text message 48hours before the appointment. It is hard to ignore incoming calls and messages, since you have dermatology, dentists, PCP, all so they make it very convenience for themselves and do not care patient. The most important communication needed was left out. Like what to expect, blurriness, sun glasses will needed. I am not sure what it has to do on questioner how many children I have? How one can read all the consent they ask you to sign while in office? Everyone has acquired the professional license to make more and more money, no ethics and do not appreciate and value others time. I did not get to work until 11:30, as my eyes were blurred and commute was cautious and slow. Reason of making early morning appointment was not not to loose work hours and be on time to work as it was explained and because of this reason visit was delayed appointment was not available for over month. I still ended up with same dilemma. Most Dr's they do not see nor want to hear how effective is their system. Often any negative review will get automatic scripted sorry apology, call our office to discuss and we appreciate feedback or feedforward to improve our service, but it is found so far to be just scripted and shrugging off technic.

Greg Shield

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I needed Cataract surgery so I chose Beach Eye Medical to have the procedure performed. Dr. Jwo was amazing! He explained all of the options that were available along with detailed costs of each of the options. I chose the RX Sight Light Adjustable Lens procedure. The surgery was quick and I immediately saw the results! Nothing like waking up the next day and see perfectly. I did experience a few setbacks, that were easily resolved, I had a bit of tissue scaring (not uncommon), but easily corrected by Dr, Jwo with a laser process. Painless and got back to normal quickly. While doing the Adjustment process, it appeared that my retina my have a had a bit of swelling, so before starting the UV adjustment process, I consulted with Dr. Ramkumar, a retina specialist with Beach Eye Medical. She recommended a few different eye drops to be used over a few week process. Progress at the next check up were positive, and we then could begin the UV Adjustment process. Dr. Le, is the expert Optometrist at Beach Eye Medical that performs the UV Adjustment process for Beach Eye Medical. She was extremely precise in evaluating my eye vision and making the necessary corrections to my lenses! I met with her on a weekly basis to perform the UV Adjustments. We did have an issue with my right eye (this has always been my worst eye since 2ndgrade!), but she provided a solution that now allows me to see perfectly in both eyes!I also want to add that the staff at ALL of their offices are super helpful and friendly! I did go to the Irvine, Newport and Huntington Beach offices. So nice to meet the staff at these offices!ps - one evening, I was at an event in Costa Mesa and I ran into an ophthalmologist from a different practice here in Orange County. She noticed that I was wearing the "RX Sight" 100% UV Glasses. We struck up a conversation on my progress. She was able to validate that the "issues" that I experienced are not uncommon. It was very nice to get this unsolicited opinion from another ophthalmologist!

Kurt Bayless

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Informed about laser eye surgery to relieve pressure in the eye.

Carolina Barrera

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This has been my place for over 3 years. Dr. Semaan has been helping me with my really dry eyes. In our appointments, he shows me the progress I’ve made and we go over that appointment’s results. I really appreciate having that bit of information.

Dilated Eye Exam – Why You Need One

Who should have a dilated eye exam?

What conditions can be diagnosed with the dilated eye exam?

How is a dilated eye exam performed?

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