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Why does a person have dilated pupils – the main reasons
Why do pupils dilate? This phenomenon can be physiological or speak of a serious pathology. Our article will tell you how to understand this.
What causes a person’s pupils to dilate: harmless reasons
The pupil contracts and expands under the influence of various factors. Most often, the reasons are the psychological state or the degree of brightness of the light in the place where the person is at the moment. Therefore, we can talk about such factors that are not dangerous, but provoke pupil dilation.
Darkness. When the light level decreases, the pupil dilates automatically. Even with the normalization of light, this state of the pupil persists for some time.
Emotional condition. Any situation that evokes strong emotions, positive or negative, provokes pupil dilation.
Concentration on one subject. If you carefully examine an object, the pupil will immediately begin to expand. Such a reaction can cause interest in a person who you like a lot.
All of the above factors cause physiological expansion, it is subtle and quickly passes. But if this condition is accompanied by other symptoms, then this may indicate a health hazard.
Why does a person have dilated pupils: pathological reasons
Unilateral expansion is a clear symptom of pathology. It can be triggered by:
- palsy of the optic nerve;
- trauma to the eyeball;
- inflammatory process;
- severe headache.
If the expansion is due to one of these reasons, then the person has other symptoms. We are talking about visual impairment, photophobia, tearing, hemorrhage in the eyeball.
Bilateral enlargement, when there is no reaction to light, is a serious symptom that requires immediate medical attention. This can be triggered by:
poisoning with drugs, alcohol, chemicals, medicines;
botulism;
serious brain injury;
acute inflammation.
In such cases, you must call an ambulance or immediately contact a medical facility.
When the pupils dilate and this condition is not accompanied by other serious signs, then you should not worry. Most likely, this is a physiological expansion, it is not dangerous to health and therefore does not require medical intervention. Otherwise, you need to seek medical help as soon as possible.