My eye doc put some drops in my eye yesterday that afterwards made it impossible to read! The drive home through blurry city lights was an adventure I don’t want to repeat. What a miserable experience.
Routine dilation (which allows us a more comprehensive view of the posterior segment (retina)), will cause an accompanying loss of near vision; more pronounced, the older you are.
I can almost always achieve sufficent dilation with a relatively new, milder drug that does not have quite the nearpoint compromise. Personally, I try to dilate my patients only as frequently as is clinically indicated.
I've had that happen, and they always tell me beforehand, "Oh, don't worry, you'll be able to drive!" Then the drive home is blurry and terrifying. Never again will I let them put drops in my eyes if I have to drive home.