Dilating the pupil can very occasionally precipitate acute glaucoma if the patient has a narrow anterior chamber angle and should be undertaken with caution if the ante- rior chamber is obviously shallow (readily determined by oblique illumination of the anterior segment of the eye)
A short-acting mydriatic, such as tropicamide, should be used and the patient warned to report immediately if ocu- lar discomfort or redness develops
Angle closure is more likely to occur if pilocarpine is used to overcome pupillary dilation than if the pupil is allowed to constrict naturally