# dilated pupils?



## lexishea28 (May 11, 2010)

does anyone else have this symptom? where like no matter how light it is, when im inside even if its just a LITTLE bit dark my pupils are always huuuge. they've been this way ever since i remember having DP/DR. when im outside in the sun they're normal, just when im inside...
i remember when i was little my dad would always comment on how big they were. and my friends throughout most of my life think im fucked up al the time just because my pupils are so huge.
just wondering if anyone else has this too?


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## hanniballexster (Jun 13, 2010)

lexishea28 said:


> does anyone else have this symptom? where like no matter how light it is, when im inside even if its just a LITTLE bit dark my pupils are always huuuge. they've been this way ever since i remember having DP/DR. when im outside in the sun they're normal, just when im inside...
> i remember when i was little my dad would always comment on how big they were. and my friends throughout most of my life think im fucked up al the time just because my pupils are so huge.
> just wondering if anyone else has this too?


I have huge pupils sometimes, for no apparent reason- I've also had multiple head injuries and that can cause your pupils to dilate abnormally. When I was on paxil my pupils were always huge, no matter how bright the light was. Everyone assumed I was stoned.

Here are some common reasons for dilated pupils (when they shouldn't be dilated)

As a side effect of some street and prescription drugs
uveitis- inflammation of the center part of the eye (an eye disease- see your eye doctor)
iritis; inflamation of the colored part of the eye aka the iris (see an eye doctor)
pseudoexofoliation syndrome, which is characterized by accumulation of flakes of material in the iris near the pupil
narrow angle glaucoma
Adie's tonic pupil, a dilated pupil that responds poorly to light, results from damage to the ciliary ganglion, through which nerves that cause papillary constriction pass
Sinusitis can occasionally cause blood clots to form in the sinuses; this causes fixed, dilated pupils
Brain damage caused by aneurysm, stroke or tumors that affects the cranial nerves that enervate the eye may result in an enlarged pupil as well
*[*]Trauma can cause pupil dilation. Injury to the pupil or damage to the nerves that regulate pupil movement caused by head injury can cause dilation of one or both eyes*
 Fear/stress/anxiety can create a fight/flight reaction which often result in the pupils dilating.

If you don't have any other serious symptoms eye trauma can cause pupil irregularities (so can drugs, but you mention having had this for a while- still, if its scaring you probably best to see an eye doctor).

The function of pupils is pretty simple. Just like on a camera, the pupil of your eye regulates how much light passes through- this is why pupils get "bigger" in the dark- there is less light available to see things so the rods in your eyes need as much light as possible- hence, the pupil enlarges to let in as much as possible (this is also the reason why healthy pupils constrict in bright sunlight- if your pupils remain dilated in bright light, you often get headaches and other symptoms because too much light is getting through).

If your pupils are just getting bigger when its dark or gloomy, it could also, of course, be perfectly normal. Everybody's pupils get bigger in darker environments. (except those with certain eye diseases).









After re-reading your initial post, something else stood out- you said if you're inside they are larger, even if it's light inside. This could be because interior lighting can be deceptive- I'm assuming that if you're indoors, especially at night, you're going to be using artifical lighting (light bulbs, candles, etc)- while the room you are in may APPEAR to be as bright as outside, it probably isn't.

On the electromagnetic spectrum of energy, the range at which human beings can SEE light is 380 nm (nanometer- refers to the length of the wave, a nanometer is one billionth of a meter) to 760 nm (or 790-400 terahertz- terahertz means one trillion, a hertz is a unit if frequency- 1 cycle a second- I assume light is also measured in terahertzes because it is a particle as well as a wave- light particles are known as photons).

I'm trying to find a source but my guess is that natural sunlight is a different length (nanometer wavelength) than artificial lights- so that with artifical lights on you may think everything is just as bright as outdoors, but your brain knows its actually darker. Having trouble finding a list of visible light sources and their nanometer ranges. Any help?


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## lexishea28 (May 11, 2010)

hanniballexster said:


> I have huge pupils sometimes, for no apparent reason- I've also had multiple head injuries and that can cause your pupils to dilate abnormally. When I was on paxil my pupils were always huge, no matter how bright the light was. Everyone assumed I was stoned.
> 
> Here are some common reasons for dilated pupils (when they shouldn't be dilated)
> 
> ...


yesss this helped alot! i dont do drugs so i know thats not the cause of it...
it doesnt really scare me i just wonder why. haha 
the whole interior light thing makes alot of sense...
i also have been hit in the head with a softball before? haha maybe thats the cause, who knows. thank you!


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## hanniballexster (Jun 13, 2010)

lexishea28 said:


> yesss this helped alot! i dont do drugs so i know thats not the cause of it...
> it doesnt really scare me i just wonder why. haha
> the whole interior light thing makes alot of sense...
> i also have been hit in the head with a softball before? haha maybe thats the cause, who knows. thank you!


No problem.


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