Pupil characteristics under different factors

Abstract

Purpose: to investigate the pupillary characteristics in a sample of patients adapted to light and darkness and with age and to determine  the prevalence of the relative afferent pupillary defect among them.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study in its majority which included 178 patients attending the clinics of Al-Mowasat University Hospital in Damascus –Syria between March 2020 and June 2021, and included a review of the patient's complaint and medical file, and measurement of the diameter of the pupil in dark and light conditions using the automated pupil measurement program attached to the topography device’ Sirius’ . The incidence of anisocoria or abnormal size of the pupil and the relative afferent pupillary defect were investigated and some special cases were discussed, and data were collected, tabulated and studied in a direct, statistical and analytical approach.

Results: Pupillary anisocoria above 2 mm or abnormal size appeared in 11 patients, the mean pupillary diameter in the dark of the sample was 3.51 mm and in light 1.93 mm, and the mean pupillary diameter in women (3.76-2.12 mm) is greater than in men (3.20-1.70 mm) ) in dark and light, respectively, and the pupil diameter decreased with age in the three age groups, where it was in the youngest group (5.50 -3.08 mm), middle (3.62-1.90 mm) and the oldest (2.09-1.20 mm) in darkness and light, respectively. The incidence of afferent pupillary defect is 9.434%, and most of the cases are in the older group and stem from an injury to the optic nerve.

Conclusions: The importance of focusing on the size of the pupils and their response to light, especially in the elderly, because of the hidden signs of important diseases, and benefiting from the objective evaluation of these signs and their follow-up.

Key Words: Pupil, Light, Darkness, Relative Afferent Pupillary Defect, Anisocoria.