Eye Pupils

[Shlong]

Hi there,

During a recent eye examination the docotor commented that I have very large pupils that are very resistant to light. He is not the first medical person to comment on this either.

Is there anybody out there who knows what this implies? Is it a good or a bad thing?

Just curious.

[gijoe]

Mr S,

Serious point this one - popped any...uhumm..pills in your time ?

G

[Shlong]

Absolutely no way! Repeat no way!! :eek:

He asked me the same thing funnily enough which is why I am following it up. I have never touched any illegal drugs so this is concerning me somewhat.

What could be the cause?

[QDMQDMQDM]

There is a totally benign condition, commoner in women, called Holmes-Adie pupil in which the pupil is large and reacts poorly to light, although normally to accommodation (i.e. constricts on focusing). There is usually, but not always, a difference in size between the two sides. Looking on the Internet, several sources say it is acquired in later life, while others say it is a congenital condition. I had always thought it was the latter and this discrepancy suggests that it is probably a group of heterogeneous and, as far as I know all benign, conditions, masquerading under a single name. If you're in the UK, there is a department of medical / neuro-ophthalmology at St. Thomas's Hospital in London and a referral there would probably put your mind at rest.

The only likely drugs which could cause dilated pupils are speed or ecstasy, but that doesn't sound very likely here! Opiates cause constricted pupils.

If you have no symptoms, don't worry is almost certainly the message, but go and get checked out.

QDM

[Fokker-Jock]

Try popping a pill and see if they get even bigger :D