What to do if the pupils are dilated? First, find out what happened. They can increase for the following reasons:
- From medications and eye drops. Some drugs affect the human body in different ways. Eye drops can also affect the expansion of the pupils, and this may not be an allergy. Usually, the instructions for a particular drug indicate side effects;
- From the dark. In the dark, the pupils are dilated due to the fact that in an unlit room, the eyes try to increase the area of their perception;
- From narcotic psychotropic substances. If you take drugs, the brain will be deprived of the proper proportion of oxygen, because of which usually drug addicts have dilated pupils of the eyes;
- During stressful conditions and nervous breakdowns;
- During shock (traumatic) that occurs with severe injuries or fractures. Such a phenomenon is a reaction of the body to the pain inflicted on it;
- Even the pupils may be dilated for another reason. They can be a sign of sympathy for someone. For example, if a woman is on a date with a young man who attracts her attention, and this happens, it means she is nice to her.
There is such a thing as mydriasis - bilateral expansion of the pupils. This phenomenon can be observed in those who wear contact lenses, if a person has a midbrain, and also as a result of a disturbed reaction to light (especially if it is a deep coma). It can also be considered as a benign and harmless feature in sympatheticotonic vegetatively labile individuals. This phenomenon can also be caused by internal or local use of drugs.
Pupils can expand with emotions and diseases: fear, anxiety, hyperthyroidism, pain, cerebral anoxia, cardiac arrest, or myopia. They can also be large if a person takes a deep breath or makes a loud sound.
It is also worth considering a one-sided dilated pathologically pupil. Causes may be oculomotor paralysis. This is usually accompanied by ptosis. In such cases, the pupil does not show any reaction to light, there are no natural tendon reflexes. More often this can be found in women, it is inherited. This can also be caused by the fact that a person took drugs on one side that cause mydriasis.
Constantly dilated pupils may also be such because of the accidental or deliberate instillation of cycloplegic medications, such as atropine and substances that are similar to it. Internal ophthalmoplegia may also occur. However, the pupils are dilated in this case only if there is a brain tumor. So, this is possible due to pinealomas. The pupil can also be “blurred” if the person has a supratentorial hernia. If he has neurological iridoplegia, then the dilated pupil will narrow if a 1% solution of pilocarpine is instilled into the eyes. However, nevertheless, to find out the true reason for the expansion (there may be hundreds), it is worth visiting an optometrist. He examines his patient, after which he will make the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment.