Tropicamide
Tropicamide is a short-acting eye drop that widens the pupil before an eye examination, stocked as 1% bottles under the Mydriacyl brand and the plain ingredient name.
Tropicamide
Tropicamide
1%
Order Tropicamide 1% eye drops, the dilating drop used before eye examinations, in a bottle you can buy in quantities from one to five.
A dilating drop for eye examinations
Looking into an eye through a small pupil is like peering through a keyhole. Tropicamide opens the keyhole. It blocks the receptors that keep the iris muscle tight, and the ring of muscle that focuses the lens stops working for a while too, so the examiner gets a wide, steady view of the retina and optic disc. The drop belongs to the mydriatics, the medicines that open the pupil, and its effect is shorter than that of many of its relatives, which is why it is picked for quick examinations and imaging rather than long procedures.
Mydriacyl and plain tropicamide: the two 1% bottles
Both bottles hold tropicamide 1%: Mydriacyl under the brand name, Tropicamide under the plain ingredient name, so choose whichever label you know. There are no other strengths and no combination drops, and you will find both in Eye Care.
How the drops are used
One drop goes into the eye being examined. Lenses come out first. Afterwards, press a fingertip on the inner corner of the eye, next to the nose, for two or three minutes; this stops much of the drop draining away down the tear duct. Within 15 to 20 minutes the pupil is fully open, sometimes a little later. While it stays open, close work looks blurred. Most people are back to normal in four to eight hours, and a few take up to a day.
While the pupil is open
Sunglasses make the first few hours easier, and it is sensible to stay out of fierce sunlight. Driving and machinery wait until your sight clears. The drop stings briefly as it lands, and a headache, dry mouth or queasiness can follow. Children are the ones most likely to react badly, with confusion, odd behaviour or trouble breathing, and any of those needs urgent treatment. Anyone with narrow-angle glaucoma, where the eye's drainage angle is closed or very narrow, should not have it, because dilating the pupil can push the eye pressure up.
Looking after the bottle
Screw the cap back on and keep the bottle out of bright light. Since this is an examination drop, there is no course to complete and nothing to take daily.
Sources
- Tropicamide Ophthalmic: MedlinePlus Drug Information — National Library of Medicine
- Tropicamide 1% w/v eye drops, solution, single-dose container — UK Electronic Medicines Compendium (EMC)
Is Tropicamide available to order in Hong Kong?
Tropicamide can be ordered online from PockDose with delivery to Hong Kong. The range covers generic Mydriacyl and Tropicamide bottles, both at 1%. Payment is by Visa, Mastercard or American Express on a secure, encrypted payment page, or by Bitcoin or Ethereum.
How much does Tropicamide cost?
It depends on the product, strength and pack size. Each of the two tropicamide products listed here shows its current prices in HKD or the currency you select.
Do I need a prescription to order Tropicamide?
PockDose does not ask you to upload a prescription when you order tropicamide. See the ordering FAQ for details.
What are the other names for tropicamide?
Mydriacyl is a brand name of tropicamide. Here, tropicamide can be bought online as generic Mydriacyl and tropicamide bottles. These are generics, not the original brand.
How long does tropicamide last?
The pupil is fully open at about 15 to 20 minutes. Four to eight hours later most eyes are back to normal, although light sensitivity can hang on for a day in some people, and reading returns at much the same pace.
Can I drive after tropicamide eye drops?
Only when the glare and blur have gone. Headlights look like starbursts and a dashboard is hard to read with a wide pupil. A morning appointment usually leaves people fine to drive by evening.
Does tropicamide sting when it goes in?
Briefly, yes: a sting as the drop lands that is gone in about a minute. Headache, a dry mouth or a queasy feeling can follow and fade as the drop wears off. Eyes stay sensitive to light for longer than they sting.
Can I wear contact lenses after tropicamide?
Take them out before the drop goes in and leave them out until your vision is back to normal. Lenses can trap the solution against the cornea and are easy to mishandle when everything looks blurred.
What strength are the tropicamide eye drops?
1%. Mydriacyl and the plain Tropicamide bottle are both 1%, the strength used to widen the pupil for an examination, and no other strength is stocked in this range.