What it means
Pupils normally widen in dim light and with fear or excitement. They are widened on purpose with eye drops for an eye exam. Anticholinergic drugs, stimulants such as cocaine and amphetamines, and rising pressure inside the skull can also widen them; a newly wide pupil that does not react to light can mean pressure on a nerve in the brain. The opposite is miosismy-OH-sisNarrowing (constriction) of the pupil of the eye.Full entry .
For the nurse
After dilating drops, vision is blurry and light-sensitive for several hours: the client should wear sunglasses and not drive. In a client with a head injury, report a pupil that becomes larger or slow to react at once.
Remember it
Miosis is the shorter word for the smaller pupil; mydriasis is the longer word for the wider one.
At a glance
| Also written | mydriatic |
|---|
Easy to confuse with
miosis
Narrowing (constriction) of the pupil of the eye.
Related terms
intracranial pressure
The pressure inside the skull, made by the brain, the blood and the fluid around the brain.
pupil
The round black opening in the center of the colored part of the eye, which lets light in.
PERRLA
Pupils equal, round, reactive to light and accommodation: charting shorthand for a normal pupil exam.
miosis
Narrowing (constriction) of the pupil of the eye.