Symptom: Pupil dilation

Introduction: Pupil dilation

Pupil dilation: Pupils appearing larger than normal. See free access online books about Pupil dilation below. See detailed information below for a list of 20 causes of Pupil dilation, including diseases and drug side effect causes.

» Review Causes of Pupil dilation: full list

Causes of Pupil dilation:

The following medical conditions are some of the possible causes of Pupil dilation. There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor about your symptoms.

• Illicit drugs
• Amphetamine intoxication
• Drug overdose
• Medication overdose (type of Medical misadventure)
• Certain medications
• Certain eyedrop medications
• Brain injury
• Stroke
• Brain tumor
• Adie's syndrome - causing one pupil to react more slowly than the other.

See full list of 20 causes of Pupil dilation

» Review Causes of Pupil dilation: full list

Causes of Types of Pupil dilation:

Review the causes of these more specific types of Pupil dilation:

• Mydriasis (42 causes)

More types of Pupil dilation

Pupil dilation: Multiple Symptom Checker

Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Pupil dilation, as listed in our database. Visit the Multiple Symptoms Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.

Multiple Symptom Checker - Other Symptoms

• Pupil dilation: Multiple Symptom Checker

Multiple Symptom Checker Combinations

• Pupil dilation and Eye symptoms (10 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Pupil symptoms (10 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Face symptoms (8 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Head symptoms (8 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Seizures (8 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Behavioral symptoms (7 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Muscle symptoms (7 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Muscle weakness (7 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Personality symptoms (7 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Fatigue (6 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Weakness (6 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Digestive symptoms (6 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Movement symptoms (6 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Muscle spasms (6 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Nerve symptoms (6 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Pain (6 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Sensations (6 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Society problems (5 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Brain symptoms (5 causes)
• Pupil dilation and Breath symptoms (5 causes)

See full list of 689 Multiple Symptom Checker combinations related to Pupil dilation

Home Diagnostic Testing and Pupil dilation

Home medical tests possibly related to Pupil dilation:

• Vision & Eye Health: Home Testing:
  • Home Eye Tests
  • Home Vision Tests

Causes of General Symptom Types

Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:

• Pupil symptoms (62 causes)
• Eye symptoms (2195 causes)

Causes of Similar Symptoms to Pupil dilation

Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Pupil dilation:

• Pupil contraction
• Pupil symptoms (62 causes)
• Eye symptoms (2195 causes)

Diagnostic Guides for Pupil dilation

Medical Books Excerpts Read excertps from published book sections related to Pupil dilation from the following published medical books for more detailed information about Pupil dilation. Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Pupil dilation

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic tests for Pupil dilation:

Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Pupil dilation. Some of these are listed below :

• Eye examination
  • Inspect the eye noting the nature of redness, if present. This will help delineate iritis and glaucoma
  • Examine the pupils for size, shape, equality and regularity
  • Test the light and accommodation reflexes of the pupils. Usually a light shone into the pupils will cause the pupil to constrict. Usually focusing from a far object to a near object will cause the pupil to constrict
  • Unilateral pupil dilation which is not reactive to light or accommodation (focusing on near object) should suggest oculomotor nerve (third cranial nerve) palsy due to a ruptured brain aneurysm or intracranial haematoma (brain blood clot). If a unilateral dilated pupil does react to light or accommodation, must consider a local eye condition such as iritis, glaucoma, anisocoria (a condition in which the two pupils are not of equal size) or irritation of the cervical sympathetic nerves. If a unilateral dilated pupil reacts to accommodation but not to light, must consider neurosyphilis. If a unilateral dilated pupil does not react to light or accommodation, must consider blindness due to optic nerve (second cranial nerve) lesions

See full list of 19 diagnostic tests for Pupil dilation

Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Pupil dilation. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis. Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:

• How long have you had the pupil dilation? - to determine if acute or chronic.
• Are both pupils dilated? - Bilateral pupil dilation would most likely suggest drug intoxication such as Phenobarbital, marijuana and PCP. Other possibilities include concussion and glaucoma.
• History of head trauma? - may suggest concussion or intracranial haematoma (brain blood clot) as the cause of pupil dilation.
• Past medical history? - e.g. iritis may be seen in inflammatory bowel disease, ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome, diabetes mellitus and sarcoidosis; Oculomotor nerve palsy (third cranial nerve) lesion may be caused by brain aneurysm, brain tumor or meningitis.
• Medications? - some medications may cause bilateral pupil dilation such as Phenobarbital an agent used for epileptic seizures.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Pupil dilation (11 listings)

Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)

Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Pupil dilation) may include:

• Blindness? - Blindness would suggest an optic nerve lesion (second cranial nerve). Impaired vision may also suggest glaucoma or iritis.
• Redness of the eye? - suggests definite eye disease such as iritis or glaucoma.
• Joint pain? - may suggest iritis due to either ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Pupil dilation (11 listings)

Stories from Users for Pupil dilation

Real-life user stories relating to Pupil dilation:

• dilated pupils
• One pupil doesn't contract
• Pupil disorders
• One Dilated Pupil Shifting from One Eye to the Other
• pupil does not dialate
• Pupils Dilated
• Dilated pupil and blurred vision
• Help-Scratchy eye, floaters, dilated pupil
• Scratchy Eye, Dilated Pupil & Floaters
• one pupil widely dilated
• Dilated pupils

Symptom specific forums: The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards relate to Pupil dilation or relevant symptoms:

• Eyes (218)
  • Sudden blackout in vision??
  • Halo around the streetlights, glaucoma or something else?
  • Flashers, floaters, and more
  • Seeing spots
  • Flashes of almost lightning type light with sound
  • More user stories
• Neurological (Nerves) (357)
  • Could this be MS?
  • Numbness and tingling all over
  • Tingling/numbness in arms/hands/legs/face/head [more symptoms]
  • Eye twitch
  • Essential tremor
  • More user stories

Videos for Pupil dilation

Patient Surveys for Pupil dilation

• Patient Profile Survey
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• Survey about diseases related to your Pupil dilation
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Drug interactions causing Pupil dilation:

When combined, certain drugs, medications, substances or toxins may react causing Pupil dilation as a symptom. Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using, including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.

• Ma Huang and Reserpine interaction

See full list of 1 drug interactions causing Pupil dilation

Organs affected by Pupil dilation:

The list of organs typically affected by Pupil dilation may include, but is not limited to:

• Brain
• Eyes

Detailed list of causes of Pupil dilation

The list below shows some of the causes of Pupil dilation mentioned in various sources:

• Addiction - glassy eyes
• Adie's syndrome - causing one pupil to react more slowly than the other.
• Amphetamine abuse - pupil dilation
• Amphetamine intoxication
• Brain injury

See full list of 20 causes of Pupil dilation

How Common are these Causes of Pupil dilation?

This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Pupil dilation. Of the 20 causes of Pupil dilation that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:

• 0 causes are "very common" diseases
• 1 causes are "common" diseases
• 1 causes are "uncommon" diseases
• 1 causes are "rare" diseases
• 2 causes are "very rare" diseases
• 17 causes have no prevalence information.

See the analysis of the prevalence of 20 causes of Pupil dilation

Conditions listing symptoms: Pupil dilation:

The following list of conditions have 'Pupil dilation' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

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Causes of Pupil dilation Based on Risk Factors

This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Pupil dilation based on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient: