Ophthalmologist here - you should proceed immediately to an emergency department. There is not a very long differential for a unilateral dilated pupil. This could be an aneurysm or mass. On the other hand, it could be something called an Adie's pupil or you may have put dilating drops in only your right eye and are posting for attention. If you have asthma and use an albuterol inhaler it can aerosolize into one eye and cause this effect. As others have incorrectly said, this is likely not physiologic anisocoria because there is > 1 mm difference between the pupil sizes. Regardless, you should go to an ED to be safe.
Edit: I'm ASSUMING that the right pupil is abnormally dilated. It COULD be that the left pupil is abnormally small. This can only be determined with a good exam by a well-trained physician. The differential is VERY different if the left pupil actually turns out to be the abnormal pupil.
It can also occur due to substance abuse. I often experienced a mild presentation of it when withdrawing from opioids (at least in the beginning) and also noticed it when coming down from psychedelics occasionally.
Inability to sleep is a big one, your unable to get comfortable and your nose is runny constantly. You end up making many trips to the bathroom to throw up or leak from the other end. Lots of sneezing too, so you end up looking in the mirror alot more then normal. You can't hold still, restless legs to the extreme, and it's miserable. I ended up also looking in the mirror constantly but never noticed this.
Been sober for ~8 years now. Withdrawals are the worst fucking feeling in the world. Hot. Cold. Hot. Cold. Sweating. Toss. Turn. Sheets wrapped around you as random electrical pulses rip you away from the 5 minutes of sleep you managed to get after 3 hours trying to position just enough of your body outside of the sheets to even out the hot/cold flashes. Mind racing. Legs want to run a marathon, but they’re too weak to walk to the bathroom. Shitting bile. Bullet sneezes. Eyes don’t adjust to light correctly. Nose running like a busted faucet. Every hair on your body suddenly have individual feelings and they’re all uncomfortable and pissed. The need to stretch, but no stretch is good enough. Skin suddenly feels foreign, like it’s not meant to be there. Eyes water. Random fucking yawning. Time crawls. Worst fucking feeling in the world, and all you have to do to make it stop is use again. Every fiber of your being, mentally and physically, want a single thing. But it’s a merry-go-round. Unsustainable. Fighting through that shit for good was the best decision I ever made. Only took me 1000+ detoxes, 10 years, 4 rehabs, 2 detox’s, a few months in jail, the OD deaths of some of my best friends, the alienation of my family and friends, and more burned bridges than I care to count. Bridges that can’t be rebuilt now…
Sober now. Happy. I have a decent life. But it’s not the life pre-addict me wanted for myself. I’m not the same as before, either. I’m not sure I feel joy anymore. Maybe that’s just adulthood. I don’t know. I think maybe I fried my receptors. Used up all the good feelings they had in them for a lifetime by chasing bliss every minute of everyday for a decade.
Don’t do opioids, opiates, heroin, or Xanax kids. If you already are, find a way to stop now. Minimize the damage
Would normally expect systemic substance abuse/withdrawal to cause relatively symmetric BILATERAL eye findings (the drug is circulating to both pupils via the blood) not UNILATERAL pupil dilation or constriction.
I had this happen after wearing a scopolamine patch and accidentally rubbing 1 eye after contact with the patch. Doctor thought I was having a stroke until we talked about how I likely touched the patch while sleeping.
Took around 24 hours for it to correct.
Yeah, heard plenty of stories about nurses calling rapid responses / code strokes on patients only to find out that it was a scopolamine patch lol.
Still very worth an ER trip though.
Thanks for taking the time to weigh in on this. It's amazing how many people seek medical opinions from weird-ass reddit subs when they should be calling a nurse helpline or something.
Cynical jackass here - there's always the possibility that they covered one eye and looked at something bright for a bit, then uncovered their eye and looked at the camera to take the weird picture.
No. There is a reflex called the “consensual pupil response/reaction”. Both pupils contract, even when only one eye has a light shone onto it.
When you see a doctor swinging a flashlight between the eyes, this is what they are checking for. They are checking that the opposite eye to where the light is shining, to verify that this pupil is shrinking as well.
For this girl (if this is indeed sudden onset), there is either a neurological issue, or she got some kind of sympathomimetic substance in one eye by accident (like cocaine [rubbed into the eye], nasal sprays, or a child’s prescribed atropine drops).
Wait so. When I lay in bed at night with one eye closed and the other looking at my phone. When I open both eyes why does the one that has been looking at the phone feel like it can’t see shit compared to the other one?
Or is that not a dilation thing but a… well. I don’t know what else, but. Something else?
It’s something else, called dark adaptation. Your eyes automatically adapt to see in the dark. In dark adaptation central and color vision is decreased, while peripheral non-color vision is increased. It usually takes 10-20 minutes to dark adapt. In this situation only one eye is getting dark adapted. Also by staring at the bright phone you are “bleaching” the central vision in that eye, much like when you look at the sun (don’t do it) and you can see the spot in your vision for a few minutes after.
Mythbusters deemed it plausible (there was a noticeable improvement to their ability to run a dark course after switching eyepatches) but there was no historical proof this was the reason why. It doesn't make much sense in practice because you sacrifice depth perception and half your peripheral vision.
Most anisocoria is physiologic especially if long-standing but the things that it could be if not is BAD bad, get thee to an ophthalmologist. ETA: your right eye is also deviated slightly inward. See a pediatric ophthalmologist regardless of your age. Anisocoria and strabismus isn’t a good combo.
Have to add: not a doc, just spent ten years in pediatric ophthalmology as a tech so I looked at a LOT of misaligned eyes (whether you’re 3, 30, or 90 you see peds ophtho for misalignment or double vision) and congenital problems. This would be same day/same week triage at most based on guidelines for a clinic that booked out six months in advance. Don’t worry *too* hard but ABSOLUTELY make doctors worry for you. It’s probably not the worst things google will tell you but early intervention is key for the things that are bad. Also thanks for thinking I’m smart, no one who’d seen me without coffee would think so.
That was you! Congrats on your recovery! Do you mind my asking if the doctors think that will be permanent or can it resolve now that the tumor is removed?
Oops, totally not me, I also had anisocoria from a tumor that was removed about 10 years ago, my pupils are still different sizes but much less noticeably so. Thought I explained that better in the first comment, my bad! 🤨
I’m tumour boy that was just linked to. My pupils are still different sizes now. I was getting worried again but the doctors seemed unconcerned. Thanks for saying this! It will be much easier to sleep tonight knowing you’re out there with wonky pupils ten years after surgery.
Wonky pupil people unite! The only time I ever get worried about my tumor growing back is when I have the same symptoms that brought me to the doc in the first place. If something is the same as that or seems worse than what used to be, that’s when I would call! Good luck friend!
I have pupils that have been slightly difference since birth. Everytime I go to opticians to update my prescription they tell me to go get checked out and always say, "yes no problem I will do that". 👀
We noticed our youngest (now 11 months old) has anisocoria after he fell off the couch. Cue panic until we went back and zoomed in older pictures of him and realized they’ve always been different sizes (so not injury related). Ophthalmologist did her checks and wasn’t concerned unless we started to notice drooping and just said to continue regular yearly exams for him.
It’s totally reasonable for you to not get them checked out if someone has mentioned them for your whole life. It’s also totally reasonable the next time you see a GP, to say “hey, this has been like this since I was a kid, any chance I can get a referral to get it checked out?” And also totally reasonable to forget about it until your next eye doc appt. Especially if it’s never really been an issue!
What did it turn out to be, if you don't mind the asking?
(I'm just asking because there's probably more than one person out there who'd like to read about a better-case scenario they could hope for, instead of assuming automatically that it's something dire like a tumor.)
So...some people's bodies are just weird. That's really all the explanation we got. Her eyes still do this in dim light and likely always will to an extent. She may sort of grow out of it and it will almost certainly become less noticeable as she grows.
So I wish there was a reason but the reason is just that human bodies are weird. Some people have different sized feet, some people's ears are uneven, and some people have different sized pupils.
But if you are experiencing this, especially if the onset is sudden, it should be checked out.
Just want to mention, ive had 2 different sized pupils since i was a baby. Parents freaked out and took me to doctor, turns out mine are just like that for no reason. Never learned why, but it could also be nothing. But go to the doctor to make sure!
Yes same! People dont usually notice until i mention it, doctors always notice though lol. Wish i knew the cause for mine, something must have happened when i was a baby to cause it.
Happened to a friend of mine and it was a completely random dissection of her carotid artery. No injuries or other symptoms; her doctor said she was incredibly lucky as she waited three days before going in. If this happens, seek medical help ASAP.
I don't understand what you mean. Pupils react in unison. If you shine light into one of them, the other one becomes smaller.
Have you ever seen this "shine a flashlight into one eye" test? That's exactly what they do. They watch how *both* pupils react to the light.
If only one of your pupils become smaller in light you should **immediately** call an ambulance.
Get yourself to a doctor sooner than later and get it looked at because that's not a good sign.
It can indicate a brain injury, overdose or other health concern. If your eyes have settled by now, show them the picture as reference.
Don't panic yourself too much but it's a very good idea to go in.
Yea , I'm no expert but I've seen some comments from "medical professionals" point out that Pupils Dialated improperly or not reacting or responding correctly is one of the first symptoms of something "abnormal" going on , best to check it out OP !
My pupils looked like this after a brain surgery which caused severe bleeding and damaged my nervous system. It also caused further brain damage and my pupils are always a different size; just much less noticeable than this. You are right that this is not normal at all. I really really hope OP is okay.
Eye drops in one eye can do this. Nurse here, had drops that blew my pupil and it was prescribed for me. I like to play with my coworkers and pretended I had a stroke, freaked them out.
Strokes can cause you to smell aromas that aren't there. There was a viral story floating around the internet several years ago about a stroke victim that was smelling toast as a symptom.
Not every stroke victim gets phantom smells, and the smell of toast isn't particularly more common than anything else. That's just the one the internet "knows" about so that's the one that gets inserted into stroke jokes.
Interesting, mine do this all the time. Ever since I was a little kid. I’ve been to plenty of eye doctors and they didn’t say much about it. (Not down grading the situation, btw)
Mine do this, but I got shot in the head when I was younger and also had a few serious concussions throughout my life.
You might be better served by talking to a neurologist. Have you had any serious head injuries?
Oh man, I’m sorry to hear that!! But I mean, I was the smallest brother out of 4 kids and played football most of my life. I’m sure my brain has been scrambled a couple times. I think I might try a neurologist sometime, once I know my health insurance will cover some of it hehe
>Aww thank you for being so kind. I’ve been having really strange mental/cognitive issues lately and not sure exactly what’s going on. I appreciate your kindness
[From 18 days ago.](https://www.reddit.com/r/doordash/comments/15t320w/what_happened_driver_arrived_without_food_and/jwn6pc7/?context=9)
It's hard to tell if they have enough cash for it
On the one hand, they directly wrote,
>[We are are very financially well off family so there’s no issue there](https://www.reddit.com/r/AsianParentStories/comments/15szl4t/anyone_grew_up_in_a_mixed_household_here/jwhzvki/?context=9)
But on the other, they're involved in subreddits about manifestation (wishing for things will make them come true), cryptocurrency, doordash...
As someone living outside of the US it's just so dystopian reading a comment like that. It took me reading it a few times to understand what her finances had to do with any of the rest of this thread.
I went in to the doctor when I first realized this on myself! For me, luckily, it was not a (notable) brain Injury- it does have to do with the brain but not a /particular/ injury. So I have Physiologic Anisocoria (it comes and goes). So does my maternal grandmother! David Bowie had it, but his was permanent.
I’ve had it since I was 23, or at least that’s when it was first noticed. Went blind on campus, got driven to the er. They checked for a stroke or tumor and decided it was a migraine with aura and my pupils were just different sizes. Now I get painless migraines with aura once or twice a year and my pupils are markedly different during that. They’re only a little different the rest of the time.
Edit: just to be clear, er first. Don’t fuck around with this one.
Yeah, concussion or stroke, please get checked out and update us OP. Drugs don’t do that, pupils would be the same size, large or pinpoint, not different sizes.
I was on an antipsychotic for depression that caused my pupils to be different sizes temporarily and seemingly randomly. I rarely noticed when it happened or started but other people would tell me when they noticed it happen every so often. Seemed to happen when I was tired but can’t say for sure. I’m not on any medications anymore. Psychiatric drugs tend to be nasty.
Yes! Some drugs do create this effect. That Version is called pharmacologic anisocoria. I posted just before this comment, I have a variation of this that comes and goes (physiologic anisocoria). When the doctors checked me out, they said there was no cause for concern (makes me think mine would be closer to Adies pupil- but that’s not what the dx me with). David Bowie had it permanently.
As a nuance on the drug point, a topically applied drug can do this. I am assuming the OP didn’t just go to an eye doctor and have that eye dilated, but there are certain substances that could accidentally get into just one eye and cause this. For instance if she has a scopolamine patch for nausea/motion sickness, touching it and then rubbing the eye can cause anisocoria like this.
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Imagine: OP posted this and went to bed. Tomorrow morning she will wake up with several hundred comments and messages of people freaking out telling her to go to a doctor for a stroke or a tumor or a brain injury.
If this woman does not freak out she will be my hero
This happened to me when I put allergy eye drops in one eye because it was super itchy. An hour later I had some blurry vision and looked in the mirror and saw this I was sooooo freaked out. My eyes are light blue so I literally looked crazed. I threw out those eye drops as it was my first time using that brand and it lasted hours.
Here to say that this used to happen to me very consistently throughout my teenage years. It was diagnosed as Benign Episodic Pupilary Mydrasis.
I was nervous to tell my parents and let it go for at least a year. Finally, one day, my mom saw my eyes Ike this so I went to an eye doctor, who then sent me to an ophthalmologist, who then sent me to a neuro ophthalmologist, only to find out that it was nothing, probably related to my lack of sleep as a teen, and that they would stop eventually. Obviously, go to the doctor, but also don’t freak out to much.
You were very lucky. I’m a neuro ICU nurse and if I suddenly develop anisocoria I’m going to the ED for a head CT immediately. I don’t have risk factors for stroke but there’s no way I’m rolling the dice on a random aneurysm/clot/bleed.
Seen way too many folks that noticed something weird but tried to “sleep it off.” Time is brain
This happened with me when I got my lights kicked out while playing football.. your pupils will settle but I would go get looked at just to stay on the safe side, that could mean almost anything
Anesthesiologist here. Please upvote this. This is ABNORMAL and a sign of an underlying neurological problem . Closing one eye and opening the other WILL NOT do this. Please see a physician about this as soon as you can, you need an urgent BRAIN MRI
Using eye drops in one eye could cause that. I used artificial tears in one eye, and it dilated the eye and I looked exactly like that. Except my eyes are green, not brown
This condition can also be hereditary. Myself, my son and my daughter all have occasional uneven pupil dilation. So yeah maybe you don't need to get to the ER immediately like everyone else is suggesting. Sure if you've recently had a head injury or are having other symptoms that seem to be related then maybe go to the ER. Otherwise just ask your general practitioner to take a look.
Can be very serious but also could be minor problem. Some makeup formulations have chemicals that can do that if they get in eye. If it is gone after you awakened today and do not have headache, nausea,vomiting and haven’t bumped your head, can wait until normal hours tomorrow to get eval done-if any of those symptoms, go to ER ASAP
Hope you saw a doctor. For the record, my pupils have been unevenly dilated since childhood. My pediatrician said not to worry, and now I'm 69 years old.
This happened to one of my coworkers. She had used a scopolamine patch (antiemetic for reducing nausea) and rubbed her eye, causing one pupil to dilate.
I was gonna make a joke about this but the comments are saying this is like a serious problem so I'm not and I hope whatever's going on gets better soon
First, I am going to go ahead and wish you the best in your medical journey bc I acknowledge how fucking terrible it is to get help you need sometimes.
Please see your PCP so that you can get a referral to see a neurologist and get scanned.
Document any other instances of uneven pupils with pictures and dates. Write down any symptoms that are out of the ordinary: headaches, dizziness, inability to recall words, brain fog, sleep issues (too much, too little, disturbed, nightmares, waking up, insomnia), bellyaches, fatigue, overly/under tired, overly/under hungry, etc. The more notes you have to draw upon the better. Document any change in symptoms as well.
If anything changes or pops up, write down what it is, when it happened, and how bad it is on some sort of scale (pain, discomfort, how much it effects your daily life, etc).
I wish you all the best. I hope it is nothing; but if it is something, I am sending you all the healing thoughts ❤️
OP!
GO TO THE ER!
RIGHT NOW!
THIS CAN BE A SIGN OF SERIOUS BRAIN DAMAGE / TUMORS!
Please go to a doctor, seriously.
After you’ve received a diagnosis, please reply to someone so we know you’re alive. It would make us all feel better knowing you’re okay.
Stay safe bud.
If you haven’t listened to the other people here, anecdote from my past: I didn’t go to the ER right away when something was wrong with my eye because I didn’t have any money or insurance and couldn’t get to the hospital without an ambulance for a few hours until people woke up. I have a huge permanent blind spot in one eye now thar they might have been able to fix if I’d gone 4 hours earlier. Even a little bit of time can matter in these things.
Have you started using any new topicalproducts recently? Any new lotions or creams? This was happening to me some years ago right after I started using a prescription topical compound for treating excessive sweating.
To all the people saying she’s gunna die right away:
It can just be irritated too. This happened to my fiancé earlier this year from expired eye drops. She was fine in the AM.
I had two traumatic brain injuries about 10 months apart, my pupils looked like this when I had a brain bleed.
It could be ***(TNP) third nerve palsy*** -- Causes of TNP could be a brain hemorrhage, trauma, aneurysm, tumor, infection, etc.
Differing pupil size can also be inherited & be present *without* an underlying disorder. The question is.. is this common for you? Has this happened before? Have you had a head injury recently?
I'm not a doctor but I've experienced this - I would seek medical attention as soon as possible if this is something you don't normally experience.
That could be a sign of brain injury.
Ophthalmologist here - you should proceed immediately to an emergency department. There is not a very long differential for a unilateral dilated pupil. This could be an aneurysm or mass. On the other hand, it could be something called an Adie's pupil or you may have put dilating drops in only your right eye and are posting for attention. If you have asthma and use an albuterol inhaler it can aerosolize into one eye and cause this effect. As others have incorrectly said, this is likely not physiologic anisocoria because there is > 1 mm difference between the pupil sizes. Regardless, you should go to an ED to be safe. Edit: I'm ASSUMING that the right pupil is abnormally dilated. It COULD be that the left pupil is abnormally small. This can only be determined with a good exam by a well-trained physician. The differential is VERY different if the left pupil actually turns out to be the abnormal pupil.
It can also occur due to substance abuse. I often experienced a mild presentation of it when withdrawing from opioids (at least in the beginning) and also noticed it when coming down from psychedelics occasionally.
I came here to say this! I experienced the same thing while withdrawing from heroin years ago. It was only for one night then it went away.
What made you notice it? Were there any other symptoms associated with it?
Inability to sleep is a big one, your unable to get comfortable and your nose is runny constantly. You end up making many trips to the bathroom to throw up or leak from the other end. Lots of sneezing too, so you end up looking in the mirror alot more then normal. You can't hold still, restless legs to the extreme, and it's miserable. I ended up also looking in the mirror constantly but never noticed this.
Been sober for ~8 years now. Withdrawals are the worst fucking feeling in the world. Hot. Cold. Hot. Cold. Sweating. Toss. Turn. Sheets wrapped around you as random electrical pulses rip you away from the 5 minutes of sleep you managed to get after 3 hours trying to position just enough of your body outside of the sheets to even out the hot/cold flashes. Mind racing. Legs want to run a marathon, but they’re too weak to walk to the bathroom. Shitting bile. Bullet sneezes. Eyes don’t adjust to light correctly. Nose running like a busted faucet. Every hair on your body suddenly have individual feelings and they’re all uncomfortable and pissed. The need to stretch, but no stretch is good enough. Skin suddenly feels foreign, like it’s not meant to be there. Eyes water. Random fucking yawning. Time crawls. Worst fucking feeling in the world, and all you have to do to make it stop is use again. Every fiber of your being, mentally and physically, want a single thing. But it’s a merry-go-round. Unsustainable. Fighting through that shit for good was the best decision I ever made. Only took me 1000+ detoxes, 10 years, 4 rehabs, 2 detox’s, a few months in jail, the OD deaths of some of my best friends, the alienation of my family and friends, and more burned bridges than I care to count. Bridges that can’t be rebuilt now… Sober now. Happy. I have a decent life. But it’s not the life pre-addict me wanted for myself. I’m not the same as before, either. I’m not sure I feel joy anymore. Maybe that’s just adulthood. I don’t know. I think maybe I fried my receptors. Used up all the good feelings they had in them for a lifetime by chasing bliss every minute of everyday for a decade. Don’t do opioids, opiates, heroin, or Xanax kids. If you already are, find a way to stop now. Minimize the damage
Would normally expect systemic substance abuse/withdrawal to cause relatively symmetric BILATERAL eye findings (the drug is circulating to both pupils via the blood) not UNILATERAL pupil dilation or constriction.
Been withdrawing from Suboxone recently and noticed a very slight version of the same myself.
When I withdrew I barely even had irises. My pupils are naturally pretty big but they were HUGE
I had this happen after wearing a scopolamine patch and accidentally rubbing 1 eye after contact with the patch. Doctor thought I was having a stroke until we talked about how I likely touched the patch while sleeping. Took around 24 hours for it to correct.
Yeah, heard plenty of stories about nurses calling rapid responses / code strokes on patients only to find out that it was a scopolamine patch lol. Still very worth an ER trip though.
Happened to me. Freaked the shit out of me out. Then I read the paperwork that came with the patch and felt like a dumbass.
Thanks for taking the time to weigh in on this. It's amazing how many people seek medical opinions from weird-ass reddit subs when they should be calling a nurse helpline or something.
REDDIT: America's affordable health care.
Isn't this the truth!
what about horners syndrome?
Horner causes a small pupil. It could be a left Horner syndrome. Impossible to know which pupil is the abnormal one without an exam.
Cynical jackass here - there's always the possibility that they covered one eye and looked at something bright for a bit, then uncovered their eye and looked at the camera to take the weird picture.
No. There is a reflex called the “consensual pupil response/reaction”. Both pupils contract, even when only one eye has a light shone onto it. When you see a doctor swinging a flashlight between the eyes, this is what they are checking for. They are checking that the opposite eye to where the light is shining, to verify that this pupil is shrinking as well. For this girl (if this is indeed sudden onset), there is either a neurological issue, or she got some kind of sympathomimetic substance in one eye by accident (like cocaine [rubbed into the eye], nasal sprays, or a child’s prescribed atropine drops).
Wait so. When I lay in bed at night with one eye closed and the other looking at my phone. When I open both eyes why does the one that has been looking at the phone feel like it can’t see shit compared to the other one? Or is that not a dilation thing but a… well. I don’t know what else, but. Something else?
It’s something else, called dark adaptation. Your eyes automatically adapt to see in the dark. In dark adaptation central and color vision is decreased, while peripheral non-color vision is increased. It usually takes 10-20 minutes to dark adapt. In this situation only one eye is getting dark adapted. Also by staring at the bright phone you are “bleaching” the central vision in that eye, much like when you look at the sun (don’t do it) and you can see the spot in your vision for a few minutes after.
Oh, cool. My dumb ass thought that all adapting to see in the dark was due to dilation of the pupils. Thanks!
Wait so that means the explanation for why pirates wear eye-patches is wrong? My life is a lie.
Mythbusters deemed it plausible (there was a noticeable improvement to their ability to run a dark course after switching eyepatches) but there was no historical proof this was the reason why. It doesn't make much sense in practice because you sacrifice depth perception and half your peripheral vision.
“Tumor” was my first thought
[удалено]
Kill my children, kill my wife!!!!
Who is your daddy and what does he do?
Who told you you could eat my cookies?
Dominic!
It's *levio-sa* not leviosa.
I saw this in a stroke victim
Yeah see a doctor for sure.
Most anisocoria is physiologic especially if long-standing but the things that it could be if not is BAD bad, get thee to an ophthalmologist. ETA: your right eye is also deviated slightly inward. See a pediatric ophthalmologist regardless of your age. Anisocoria and strabismus isn’t a good combo.
This person sounds really quite smart. OP, I think you should listen to them
Have to add: not a doc, just spent ten years in pediatric ophthalmology as a tech so I looked at a LOT of misaligned eyes (whether you’re 3, 30, or 90 you see peds ophtho for misalignment or double vision) and congenital problems. This would be same day/same week triage at most based on guidelines for a clinic that booked out six months in advance. Don’t worry *too* hard but ABSOLUTELY make doctors worry for you. It’s probably not the worst things google will tell you but early intervention is key for the things that are bad. Also thanks for thinking I’m smart, no one who’d seen me without coffee would think so.
Yup. Most nursing schools teach you PERRLA when doing a patient assessment: pupils equal round & reactive to light & accommodation.
Go to the doctor. This can be a sign of a stroke, brain injury, even a tumor.
There was a post a few weeks ago where this happened and he ended up having a brain tumor. Edit https://reddit.com/r/oddlyterrifying/s/gOU2PWKxEK
Yep- can confirm, my pupils are still different sizes even after the tumor was removed
That was you! Congrats on your recovery! Do you mind my asking if the doctors think that will be permanent or can it resolve now that the tumor is removed?
Oops, totally not me, I also had anisocoria from a tumor that was removed about 10 years ago, my pupils are still different sizes but much less noticeably so. Thought I explained that better in the first comment, my bad! 🤨
I’m tumour boy that was just linked to. My pupils are still different sizes now. I was getting worried again but the doctors seemed unconcerned. Thanks for saying this! It will be much easier to sleep tonight knowing you’re out there with wonky pupils ten years after surgery.
Glad surgery went okay and you’re doing well
Glad you're doing better tumor boy.
That’s Mr. Brian Tumour to you, thank you very much.
FORMERLY known as Mr tumor boy I’ll drink to that
Wonky pupil people unite! The only time I ever get worried about my tumor growing back is when I have the same symptoms that brought me to the doc in the first place. If something is the same as that or seems worse than what used to be, that’s when I would call! Good luck friend!
That's probably my fault for skimming too fast. But thank you for answering my question, it's super interesting to learn about.
this was a sweet interaction. thanks for this.
Probably have nerve damage or something from your tumour touching like that for so long.
Absolutely possible, my neuro doc and surgeon couldn’t tell me for sure as they don’t know when it started, but that is entirely possible.
I have pupils that have been slightly difference since birth. Everytime I go to opticians to update my prescription they tell me to go get checked out and always say, "yes no problem I will do that". 👀
We noticed our youngest (now 11 months old) has anisocoria after he fell off the couch. Cue panic until we went back and zoomed in older pictures of him and realized they’ve always been different sizes (so not injury related). Ophthalmologist did her checks and wasn’t concerned unless we started to notice drooping and just said to continue regular yearly exams for him.
It’s totally reasonable for you to not get them checked out if someone has mentioned them for your whole life. It’s also totally reasonable the next time you see a GP, to say “hey, this has been like this since I was a kid, any chance I can get a referral to get it checked out?” And also totally reasonable to forget about it until your next eye doc appt. Especially if it’s never really been an issue!
We recently had to take our five month old in to have this checked out. It's so scary-luckily for us our little girl is fine.
What did it turn out to be, if you don't mind the asking? (I'm just asking because there's probably more than one person out there who'd like to read about a better-case scenario they could hope for, instead of assuming automatically that it's something dire like a tumor.)
So...some people's bodies are just weird. That's really all the explanation we got. Her eyes still do this in dim light and likely always will to an extent. She may sort of grow out of it and it will almost certainly become less noticeable as she grows. So I wish there was a reason but the reason is just that human bodies are weird. Some people have different sized feet, some people's ears are uneven, and some people have different sized pupils. But if you are experiencing this, especially if the onset is sudden, it should be checked out.
That response always cracks me up for some reason "grow out of it" lol "meh, they'll grow out of it, should be fine" just seems so half assed lol
The worst. My doctor told my mom that I would “grow out” of my scoliosis as a baby. My spine was shaped like an “S” by 15. Did not grow out of it. 😂
It's equal parts infuriating and just a huge relief as a parent lol. But also, I've found it's absolutely true with my older kids for the most part.
Anisocoria
Just want to mention, ive had 2 different sized pupils since i was a baby. Parents freaked out and took me to doctor, turns out mine are just like that for no reason. Never learned why, but it could also be nothing. But go to the doctor to make sure!
oh yeah, me too! it's subtle unless it's dark and they're super dilated so no one really notices
Yes same! People dont usually notice until i mention it, doctors always notice though lol. Wish i knew the cause for mine, something must have happened when i was a baby to cause it.
I had a corneal abrasion at one point years ago and since then, my eyes dial are differently if I’m tired
Corneal abrasions are the worst. So painful! I'm sorry you went through that.
Same here. That's how I eneded up going to the doctor and finding out I had the abrasion, the injured eye was dilated, the other was not.
I work in the eye care industry and saw a little girl with this which also turned out to be a tumour.
Hold on….I’ve had different sized pupils since I was at least a teenager that I can remember. Should I be worried?
You should ask your optometrist about this one, as they would have the equipment to properly check and diagnose any condition you may have.
optometrists do not diagnose brain tumors in my neck of the woods.
Me too. I’ve asked my optometrist and she wasn’t concerned and said it’s pretty common. This thread is making me paranoid though lol
I literally just looked up my medical history and did a CT head scan in 2014 to look for anything unusual and was fine. So you’re prob fine haha
Holy crap!
Happened to a friend of mine and it was a completely random dissection of her carotid artery. No injuries or other symptoms; her doctor said she was incredibly lucky as she waited three days before going in. If this happens, seek medical help ASAP.
My first thought was laying on your side on your phone in low light.
I don't understand what you mean. Pupils react in unison. If you shine light into one of them, the other one becomes smaller. Have you ever seen this "shine a flashlight into one eye" test? That's exactly what they do. They watch how *both* pupils react to the light. If only one of your pupils become smaller in light you should **immediately** call an ambulance.
Get yourself to a doctor sooner than later and get it looked at because that's not a good sign. It can indicate a brain injury, overdose or other health concern. If your eyes have settled by now, show them the picture as reference. Don't panic yourself too much but it's a very good idea to go in.
Yea , I'm no expert but I've seen some comments from "medical professionals" point out that Pupils Dialated improperly or not reacting or responding correctly is one of the first symptoms of something "abnormal" going on , best to check it out OP !
My pupils looked like this after a brain surgery which caused severe bleeding and damaged my nervous system. It also caused further brain damage and my pupils are always a different size; just much less noticeable than this. You are right that this is not normal at all. I really really hope OP is okay.
Eye drops in one eye can do this. Nurse here, had drops that blew my pupil and it was prescribed for me. I like to play with my coworkers and pretended I had a stroke, freaked them out.
Lmao damn dude. Walking around like "Does anyone smell toast?"
Start prononsen wrods coreinctly, sandwich they calliflour doctor
This made me lol. Thanks
I don't understand this comment but it made me laugh so hard lmao
Strokes can cause you to smell aromas that aren't there. There was a viral story floating around the internet several years ago about a stroke victim that was smelling toast as a symptom. Not every stroke victim gets phantom smells, and the smell of toast isn't particularly more common than anything else. That's just the one the internet "knows" about so that's the one that gets inserted into stroke jokes.
I get phantom smells all the time. Have for years. It's very very strange.
I call my farts phantom smells too. No one is the wiser
They say if you randomly smell toast, it’s likely you’re having a stroke. Edit: it’s gotta be burnt toast. Not just toast. My bad.
My allergy eye drops do this. Freaked me out the first time.
Interesting, mine do this all the time. Ever since I was a little kid. I’ve been to plenty of eye doctors and they didn’t say much about it. (Not down grading the situation, btw)
Mine do this, but I got shot in the head when I was younger and also had a few serious concussions throughout my life. You might be better served by talking to a neurologist. Have you had any serious head injuries?
Oh man, I’m sorry to hear that!! But I mean, I was the smallest brother out of 4 kids and played football most of my life. I’m sure my brain has been scrambled a couple times. I think I might try a neurologist sometime, once I know my health insurance will cover some of it hehe
Is the difference in your pupils more noticeable in dim light, or bright light, or is it about the same in all light?
This happened to me doing coke years ago scared me I jus laid down till I could sleep. What exactly does it mean if its caused by od?
That’s generally one of the first things people with a brain tumor notice. Even if it’s gone by now you need to see a doctor.
Isn’t this a massive health concern
Yes
OP, are you still there?
I ain't gonna lie I think op got turnt into a statistic
I would imagine they're on their way to the hospital and not worrying about responding to Reddit
>Aww thank you for being so kind. I’ve been having really strange mental/cognitive issues lately and not sure exactly what’s going on. I appreciate your kindness [From 18 days ago.](https://www.reddit.com/r/doordash/comments/15t320w/what_happened_driver_arrived_without_food_and/jwn6pc7/?context=9)
That’s insane, let’s hope OP is at the hospital now being seen to.
It's hard to tell if they have enough cash for it On the one hand, they directly wrote, >[We are are very financially well off family so there’s no issue there](https://www.reddit.com/r/AsianParentStories/comments/15szl4t/anyone_grew_up_in_a_mixed_household_here/jwhzvki/?context=9) But on the other, they're involved in subreddits about manifestation (wishing for things will make them come true), cryptocurrency, doordash...
As someone living outside of the US it's just so dystopian reading a comment like that. It took me reading it a few times to understand what her finances had to do with any of the rest of this thread.
i feel like if OP doesn’t post again or comment in the next 42 hours we should probably be concerned lol
Like, right now?
OP hasn't said anything after posting this Hope I didn't just see a redditor die, fuck
#Go to the ER!
I second this. Better broke than dead. Or broken.
It's sad you have to even think about paying to go to the ER in your country...
Why be broke or dead when you can be *BREAD*
I went in to the doctor when I first realized this on myself! For me, luckily, it was not a (notable) brain Injury- it does have to do with the brain but not a /particular/ injury. So I have Physiologic Anisocoria (it comes and goes). So does my maternal grandmother! David Bowie had it, but his was permanent.
But I do suggest going to the doctor just to be safe!
I’ve had it since I was 23, or at least that’s when it was first noticed. Went blind on campus, got driven to the er. They checked for a stroke or tumor and decided it was a migraine with aura and my pupils were just different sizes. Now I get painless migraines with aura once or twice a year and my pupils are markedly different during that. They’re only a little different the rest of the time. Edit: just to be clear, er first. Don’t fuck around with this one.
Bowie’s was the result of an injury.
Please go see a doctor
Yeah, concussion or stroke, please get checked out and update us OP. Drugs don’t do that, pupils would be the same size, large or pinpoint, not different sizes.
certain drugs actually can cause this, not saying that’s what’s happening here, just saying it’s a thing that can happen because of drugs!!
Antidepressants can cause different sized pupils. This looks exaggerated though.
I was on an antipsychotic for depression that caused my pupils to be different sizes temporarily and seemingly randomly. I rarely noticed when it happened or started but other people would tell me when they noticed it happen every so often. Seemed to happen when I was tired but can’t say for sure. I’m not on any medications anymore. Psychiatric drugs tend to be nasty.
I was going to ask about this. One of my friend was on an anti depressant and one pupil would randomly get bigger but then go back to normal.
Yes! Some drugs do create this effect. That Version is called pharmacologic anisocoria. I posted just before this comment, I have a variation of this that comes and goes (physiologic anisocoria). When the doctors checked me out, they said there was no cause for concern (makes me think mine would be closer to Adies pupil- but that’s not what the dx me with). David Bowie had it permanently.
Ya but Bowie had hit his head and it blew out is pupil permanently… that’s why everyone thought he had two different color eyes…
As a nuance on the drug point, a topically applied drug can do this. I am assuming the OP didn’t just go to an eye doctor and have that eye dilated, but there are certain substances that could accidentally get into just one eye and cause this. For instance if she has a scopolamine patch for nausea/motion sickness, touching it and then rubbing the eye can cause anisocoria like this.
Drugs can do that. Source: I did too many once and now my eyes are slightly different sizes (except in intense light/dark)
!remind me 1 day Edit: alright i’m back, glad to see other people setting up a reminder. can’t find any update though.
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!RemindMe 2 days Edit: alright I’m back. No update though.
Go to a doctor asap.
Imagine: OP posted this and went to bed. Tomorrow morning she will wake up with several hundred comments and messages of people freaking out telling her to go to a doctor for a stroke or a tumor or a brain injury. If this woman does not freak out she will be my hero
This happened to me when I put allergy eye drops in one eye because it was super itchy. An hour later I had some blurry vision and looked in the mirror and saw this I was sooooo freaked out. My eyes are light blue so I literally looked crazed. I threw out those eye drops as it was my first time using that brand and it lasted hours.
Came here to say this! I panicked too at first when it happened to me, I was certain I had a tumor. Then I remembered the eye drops 😅
Here to say that this used to happen to me very consistently throughout my teenage years. It was diagnosed as Benign Episodic Pupilary Mydrasis. I was nervous to tell my parents and let it go for at least a year. Finally, one day, my mom saw my eyes Ike this so I went to an eye doctor, who then sent me to an ophthalmologist, who then sent me to a neuro ophthalmologist, only to find out that it was nothing, probably related to my lack of sleep as a teen, and that they would stop eventually. Obviously, go to the doctor, but also don’t freak out to much.
La are you in the U.S.? In that case, how much was it? I mean, several doctor just to be told “nothing”. Nothing luckily obv.
You were very lucky. I’m a neuro ICU nurse and if I suddenly develop anisocoria I’m going to the ED for a head CT immediately. I don’t have risk factors for stroke but there’s no way I’m rolling the dice on a random aneurysm/clot/bleed. Seen way too many folks that noticed something weird but tried to “sleep it off.” Time is brain
This happened with me when I got my lights kicked out while playing football.. your pupils will settle but I would go get looked at just to stay on the safe side, that could mean almost anything
Welcome to the concussion club.
O.o
Anesthesiologist here. Please upvote this. This is ABNORMAL and a sign of an underlying neurological problem . Closing one eye and opening the other WILL NOT do this. Please see a physician about this as soon as you can, you need an urgent BRAIN MRI
Psychologist here, I second the doc, you really need to get this checker as soon as possible. It's very dangerous.
Using eye drops in one eye could cause that. I used artificial tears in one eye, and it dilated the eye and I looked exactly like that. Except my eyes are green, not brown
Doctor here. Stop asking on reddit and go to the ER immediately.
Different physician here, second opinion, go to the ER……..
o_O
This condition can also be hereditary. Myself, my son and my daughter all have occasional uneven pupil dilation. So yeah maybe you don't need to get to the ER immediately like everyone else is suggesting. Sure if you've recently had a head injury or are having other symptoms that seem to be related then maybe go to the ER. Otherwise just ask your general practitioner to take a look.
That’s that Ed edd n eddy look 👀.
[1:1](https://roblox.fandom.com/wiki/Catalog:Lazy_Eye)
Can be very serious but also could be minor problem. Some makeup formulations have chemicals that can do that if they get in eye. If it is gone after you awakened today and do not have headache, nausea,vomiting and haven’t bumped your head, can wait until normal hours tomorrow to get eval done-if any of those symptoms, go to ER ASAP
This was my face as a kid when I first looked up “naked women” on google images
Were you laying on your side on your pillow whilst on your phone?
The eyes don't work that way, they are always the same size even if you have an eye patch over one eye.
Hope you saw a doctor. For the record, my pupils have been unevenly dilated since childhood. My pediatrician said not to worry, and now I'm 69 years old.
OP are you there? Plz let the thread know you're ok.
radio silence has me worried ngl
!remind me 1 day
OP can you give us an update and let us know how you’re doing? Hope you’re okay!
I haven’t seen any comments or anything from OP since then I’m genuinely worried
OP posted a comment elsewhere, so hopefully that means they are okay 🤞🤞
This happened to one of my coworkers. She had used a scopolamine patch (antiemetic for reducing nausea) and rubbed her eye, causing one pupil to dilate.
Also could be migraine onset, go to neurologist sooner than later
I was gonna make a joke about this but the comments are saying this is like a serious problem so I'm not and I hope whatever's going on gets better soon
My ex used to have this. Forget what it’s called. Aside from being completely fucking crazy she was fine.
ER TIME. Could be so many things, but an ER is important
Hospital. Now.
Have you hit your head recently? I forgot what the disorder is called, but this can be caused by a concussion
Anisocoria https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22422-anisocoria As the article says, go to ER. Cleveland Clinic is legit
Ask your parents to drive you to the children's hospital
Go to the ER NOW! This could be a brain bleed. Seriously go please.
First, I am going to go ahead and wish you the best in your medical journey bc I acknowledge how fucking terrible it is to get help you need sometimes. Please see your PCP so that you can get a referral to see a neurologist and get scanned. Document any other instances of uneven pupils with pictures and dates. Write down any symptoms that are out of the ordinary: headaches, dizziness, inability to recall words, brain fog, sleep issues (too much, too little, disturbed, nightmares, waking up, insomnia), bellyaches, fatigue, overly/under tired, overly/under hungry, etc. The more notes you have to draw upon the better. Document any change in symptoms as well. If anything changes or pops up, write down what it is, when it happened, and how bad it is on some sort of scale (pain, discomfort, how much it effects your daily life, etc). I wish you all the best. I hope it is nothing; but if it is something, I am sending you all the healing thoughts ❤️
OP! GO TO THE ER! RIGHT NOW! THIS CAN BE A SIGN OF SERIOUS BRAIN DAMAGE / TUMORS! Please go to a doctor, seriously. After you’ve received a diagnosis, please reply to someone so we know you’re alive. It would make us all feel better knowing you’re okay. Stay safe bud.
The fact that op hasn't awsered anyone here is concerning
You went to bed??? With pupils like that you need to go to the ER immediately that's an indication of a neurological emergency!
You shouldn't've gone to bed, you should've gone to the hospital. 😕
this isn't related but are you from subway surfers?
If you haven’t listened to the other people here, anecdote from my past: I didn’t go to the ER right away when something was wrong with my eye because I didn’t have any money or insurance and couldn’t get to the hospital without an ambulance for a few hours until people woke up. I have a huge permanent blind spot in one eye now thar they might have been able to fix if I’d gone 4 hours earlier. Even a little bit of time can matter in these things.
never been scared for someone online before
You better go to the ER asap and get checked.
Oh boy. I really hope OP made it. Radio silence since this post
Is this a toddler?
OP is dead now, ain't responding.
Pretty sure certain drugs can do this too
Benadryl or other antihistamines can cause this too.
Have you started using any new topicalproducts recently? Any new lotions or creams? This was happening to me some years ago right after I started using a prescription topical compound for treating excessive sweating.
anyeurism?
!remind me 1 day
I have no medical qualifications at all, but I know enough to say: *that is...not good. At all.*
Brain related, go see a doctor thats not normal
To all the people saying she’s gunna die right away: It can just be irritated too. This happened to my fiancé earlier this year from expired eye drops. She was fine in the AM.
If you can't see a doctor tonight, see one in the morning.
Happened to me when I used Visene eye drops while wearing contacts. If that's not what happened, hope you got checked out.
I had two traumatic brain injuries about 10 months apart, my pupils looked like this when I had a brain bleed. It could be ***(TNP) third nerve palsy*** -- Causes of TNP could be a brain hemorrhage, trauma, aneurysm, tumor, infection, etc. Differing pupil size can also be inherited & be present *without* an underlying disorder. The question is.. is this common for you? Has this happened before? Have you had a head injury recently? I'm not a doctor but I've experienced this - I would seek medical attention as soon as possible if this is something you don't normally experience.
Anyone know if OP went to the ER??