Pupil dilation is a phenomenon that can occur due to pathological reasons or under the influence of medications. A similar phenomenon is characteristic of spasm of the ciliary muscle. In this case, visual acuity may be impaired.
Constriction of pupils
It doesn't matter what exactly caused the expansion. The pupil can be narrowed using ophthalmic solutions. Now let's take a closer look at how to constrict your pupils.
Why do pupils dilate?
The pupil is an opening in the iris of the eye that serves as a lumen that allows light to pass through from its sources. Light rays penetrate the eye and are focused on the retina. Illumination is not constant and therefore the size of the pupils can constantly change. To avoid getting a burn to the retina, the pupillary opening narrows on its own, thereby reducing the number of light rays reaching the light-sensitive cells. This usually occurs in bright weather when the eyes are not yet protected with sunglasses.
Dilated and constricted pupil
In cloudy weather or in the dark, the reverse process occurs: the hole in the iris gradually widens to let in as much sunlight as possible and to better see what is in a dark room. Light fluctuations are not the only reason for pupil dilation. This problem can also occur later:
- Excessive activity of the thyroid gland.
- Alcohol and drug intoxication.
- Using eye drops against allergies.
- Wearing contact lenses without interruption.
- Myopia, when the eyes strain when looking at individual objects.
- A depressive state when a person experiences feelings of anxiety and fear.
It is important to know! Another cause of mydriasis is brain disease. Because of this, there is excess pressure in the eyeballs, which leads to expansion of the pupillary space. If the lumen in the iris does not narrow on its own for a long time, then consult a doctor to rule out infections of the brain tissue.
How drug addicts hide their wide pupils
Taking narcotic drugs impairs the functions of the eyes, the pupil ceases to respond adequately to light. Mydriasis after taking amphetamines and other drugs with a similar effect on the eyes persists as long as the psychoactive substance is active, in this case for about a day, with the exception of cocaine, the effect of which ceases after 1.5 hours. Sometimes dilated pupils last for 2 days, then self-healing occurs.
Heroin, morphine, codeine – unnaturally constrict the pupils for about 5 hours, which leads to severe miosis. In addition to abnormally dilated (or constricted) pupils, drug intoxication can be indicated by “glassy”, glare or cloudy eyes, as well as noticeable redness. In order to hide dilated pupils, Pilocarpine and other eye drops with a miotic effect are used, the uncontrolled use of which can further worsen the health situation.
What role does a change in light play on pupil size?
To constrict your pupils, choose a room with bright lighting. You can also organize this yourself. The more light there is, the smaller the gap in the iris. To constrict your pupils at home, you will need to turn on as many light sources in the room as possible. If this is not possible, then look at the lamp for a few minutes. If you are in a dark room, then you can use a flashlight instead of a lamp.
The reaction of the pupil to bright light is immediate. However, the effect in low light conditions is not very long lasting.
Why is pupil dilation necessary?
Dilation is most often necessary for a thorough examination of the fundus by a doctor. In this case, the doctor drips special drops onto the mucous membrane, which can increase the pupillary space. The size of the hole in the iris increases in some cases by more than a day, during which time the person sees poorly.
In some cases, a person wants to expand his space in order to appear more sexual and attractive to the opposite sex.
Some people try to dilate their pupils to appear more intimidating and determined. It is well known that their size changes under the influence of a number of emotions.
Medicines for constriction of pupils
Many people wonder how to constrict their pupils for a long time? To narrow the pupillary space, there are special medications that are available in the form of eye drops. To narrow the hole in the iris, drop one of the following products into your eyes:
- Pilocarpine 1% or 2%. These are eye drops that are prescribed to combat glaucoma. The drug is available in the same form as eye ointments.
- Carbacholine 0.5%. The drug is also prescribed for glaucoma. The active substance affects nerve endings, thereby inhibiting the conduction of nerve impulses.
- Aceclidine 2%. These eye drops cause a temporary constriction of the pupil and significantly reduce intraocular pressure.
- Physistigmine 0.2% or 0.25%. These are the most powerful drops in their effects, which are classified as miotics. The effect of these drops occurs within 5 minutes after use. However, unlike other drugs, Physostigmine has a lot of side effects.
- Phosphacol 1:5000. Typically, specialists prescribe this drug for persistent narrowing of the pupil in glaucoma. The drug is also used for lens loss or atropine overdose.
- Armin 1:10000. These glaucoma eye drops have a powerful effect. Therefore, it is quite easy to overdose the drug if you drop more than 1 drop into one eye.
All the drugs that we described above can cause a spasm of accommodation. This may cause the image in front of you to be blurry. If you do not suffer from increased intraocular pressure, which occurs with glaucoma, then the intraocular fluid will flow out in a larger volume than required. This will lead to a decrease in pressure inside the eye and a deterioration in metabolic processes in its tissues.
Pilocarpine eye drops can effectively reduce pressure in the eye
The cells of the eyeball will suffer from hypoxia. If you use miotics for other purposes too often, then you risk severely weakening or losing your vision. The effect of miotics most often occurs within 10-15 minutes. For strong drugs, the time can be reduced to 5 minutes. The effect of the medicine will last from 2 to 5 hours depending on the drops you choose.
How to remove dilated pupils
If the pupils are enlarged for natural reasons due to insufficient light or as a result of normal physiological reactions, for example, to severe stress or excitement, then nothing needs to be done about it. It makes sense to worry about dilated pupils only when such a condition negatively affects your health.
Drops
For medicinal purposes, antiglaucoma eye drops are used to constrict the pupils. Uncontrolled use of these medications is not recommended.
Pilocarpine prolong 1%
Eye drops in bottles (5 ml) contain pilocarpine hydrochloride 1% and hypromellose 0.43%.
Application:
- glaucoma, including relief of acute attacks of this disease;
- if necessary, reduce the size of the pupils after using mydriatics;
- retinal vein thrombosis;
- optic nerve atrophy.
Contraindications:
- hypersensitivity to pilocarpine;
- inflammation of the iris (iritis);
- iridocyclitis;
- keratitis;
- severe myopia;
- retinal disinsertion;
- pregnancy.
Side effects:
- painful sensations in the eyes;
- decreased twilight vision due to persistent constriction of the pupils;
- conjunctivitis (with long-term use);
- headache;
- increased salivation;
- bronchospasm;
- allergic reactions.
When Pilocarpine interacts with antagonists, for example, with Atropine, as well as with antidepressants and tranquilizers, the therapeutic effect decreases. When used simultaneously with Phenylephrine and Timolol, the reduction in IOP increases.
Application: instill 1 drop. The number of instillations depends on the doctor’s orders. In case of overdose, Atropine and Epinephrine are administered.
Aceclidine 2%, 3%, 5%
Solution for the preparation of ophthalmic drops. Aceclidine has a strong miotic effect. Used in the treatment of glaucoma.
Contraindications:
- epilepsy;
- bronchial asthma;
- pregnancy;
- individual intolerance.
Side effects:
- salivation;
- feeling of “ache” in the eyes.
Aceclidine is instilled 1-2 drops 3-6 times a day, depending on the therapeutic effect.
Carbachol 1.5%, 3%
After instilling drops of Carbachol, the pupils begin to narrow after 20 minutes. The effect lasts up to 8 hours. The drug also reduces IOP and is used for glaucoma.
Contraindications:
- hypersensitivity to the drug;
- corneal damage;
- acute form of iritis and iridocyclitis;
- bronchial asthma.
Side effects:
- possible spasm of the eye muscle that constricts the pupil;
- pain in the eyes, burning;
- conjunctival hyperemia;
- headache;
- clouding of the lens (in patients over 40 years of age).
For glaucoma, Carbachol is instilled 1-2 drops 3-4 times a day.
Physostigmine 0.25%, 1%
Constricts the pupil 5-15 minutes after application. The effect lasts for more than 3 hours. It is used more often for acute glaucoma.
It is stronger than Pilocarpine, but with severe pain. Used in combination with Pilocarpine.
Apply 1-2 drops up to 6 times a day.
Phosphacol 0.01%, 0.02%
The drug has a prolonged miotic effect.
Application:
- glaucoma, including to relieve an acute attack;
- lens loss;
- corneal damage;
- to reduce the effect of mydriatics (atropine, etc.).
Side effects:
- Pain in the eyes;
- redness;
- headache.
Apply 2 drops 2-3 times a day.
Gymnastics for the eyes
There are exercises that can improve the functionality of the eye muscles responsible for the pupil. They can be done at home or at work. Gymnastics for the eyes also helps to increase the outflow of intraocular fluid, which is especially important for glaucoma.
Gymnastics for the eyes
We recommend reading: 10 eye exercises to improve vision
Set of exercises:
- Extend your hand in front of you, thumb up, focus on the nail, then look at a distant object. You can focus alternately on both fingers, at a distance of 30 cm from each other, looking from the nail into the distance and back. It is better to do this while sitting, with your elbows resting on the table.
- Exercise for training the eye muscles: looking up and down, left and right, circular movements. The head remains in place, only the eyes move.
- Fix your gaze on the moving second hand for 1-3 minutes. It is recommended to use a watch dial with a large diameter.
Repeat each exercise several times, avoiding severe overstrain of the visual organs.
Contrast eye compresses
You can do it simply with water, but it is better to use an infusion of eyebright - an eye herb. You can prepare it by pouring 1 tbsp. dried herbs or a “tea” bag with eyebright with a glass of water at a temperature of 80-90°C, let it brew. Cool part of the infusion in the refrigerator, use part hot, at a tolerable temperature.
Apply a hot bag and a cold one or a cotton pad soaked in eyebright infusion to the eyelids alternately.
Such compresses are very beneficial for the eyes, especially when combined with exercise, proper nutrition and reasonable stress on the visual organs.
Folk remedies
Traditionally, to improve twilight vision, blueberries are used, preferably fresh or dried, or dietary supplements containing blueberry extract.
For glaucoma and for constricting pupils, among folk remedies one can highlight the use of dill and anise seeds. They make an infusion for washing the eyes: 1 tbsp. seeds in a glass of water, crush and infuse. It is also possible to use 1 tsp of ground seeds orally.
We recommend reading: Eye treatment with folk remedies
One of the best medicinal plants for the eyes is eyebright (eye herb). It is used both internally in the form of infusions and for compresses. Relieves inflammation, normalizes blood supply and metabolic processes, which helps reduce IOP and improve vision.
Gymnastic exercises to constrict the pupils
The following exercises will help you get rid of enlargement::
- Focusing on an object that is located in front of you. Look at an object that is located at a distance of 20-30 cm from you. If there are no objects near you then you just need to extend your finger at this distance and look at it. If necessary, you can focus your gaze on the tip of your nose.
- Alternating glance left and right. Try moving your gaze as far as possible, first to one side and then to the other.
- Alternating gaze up and down. The exercise resembles turning your eyes left and right.
- Ceiling-corner exercise. First, you should look at the ceiling, and then quickly move your gaze to the corner of the room that is furthest from you.
- Circular rotations. Imagine that there is a dial in front of your face. First, look around it clockwise and then counterclockwise.
Popular gymnastics for the eyes
Removing wide pupils with the help of exercise will not work for a long time. Gymnastics gives a short-term effect, from several seconds to several minutes.
Why do you need to dilate the pupil?
Artificially dilating the pupil is necessary to diagnose the condition of the retina and fundus, as well as to treat certain eye diseases. Through the widened lens, you can see the initial stages of many serious diseases not only of the eyes, but also of the general condition of the entire body.
Without using drops to dilate the pupil, it is almost impossible to examine the fundus of the eye. In some cases, drops are instilled not to increase the diameter, but to relieve tension in the accommodative muscle, in order to accurately determine the degree of myopia or farsightedness.
Effect of eye drops to dilate the pupil
There are two ways to forcibly dilate the pupil: artificially excite the sympathetic nerve or immobilize the oculomotor nerve. For this purpose, special eye drops belonging to the mydriatic group are used. The effect of eye drops lasts for several hours, then gradually the pupil returns to normal. It has been noticed that in people with light eye color, the effect of eye drops lasts a little longer.
The following mydriatics are used in ophthalmology: Atropine, Hyoscyamine, Scopolamine, Homatropine, Ephedrine, Midriacil, Plattifilin, Irifrin, Phenylephrine, Tropicamide, Cyclomed, "Midroom"
.
When exposed to these eye drops, a short-term paralysis of the orbicularis muscle occurs, and the pupil dilates to its maximum. The relaxed muscle moves to the junction of the cornea and the protein membrane. Intraocular pressure increases.
Mydriatics interfere with eye accommodation. The relaxed ciliary muscle somewhat stretches the lens, its curvature decreases. In this regard, for several days the eyes clearly see only those objects that are located at a far distance, and the contours of nearby objects blur. This effect lasts 3-4 days. Then visual acuity returns.
Most eye drops for dilating the pupil are of plant origin:
- “Atropine”, “Hyoscyamine”
and
“Scopolamine”
are obtained from plants of the nightshade family (belladonna, datura, belladonna, scopolia); - “Platiphylline”
is synthesized from rhombifolia or broadleaf, which belongs to the Asteraceae family; - "Ephedrine"
is a drug obtained from various types of ephedra. It is used in the form of ephedrine hydrochloride.
Drugs that contract the radial muscle include Irifrin eye drops.
and
"Phenylephrine"
.
When it is necessary to relieve a spasm of accommodation, the pupil is dilated with the help of Tropicamide, Cyclomed, Midrum
.
Folk remedies for pupil reduction
Folk remedies for constricting pupils do not give immediate results. If you use the products in courses, then after some time there will be a slight but constant decrease in the pupillary space in diameter. This might help:
- Blueberry. You should eat as many berries as possible and drink preparations that contain blueberry extract. You can make compote from the berries and drink 1 glass of it 4 times a day. Blueberries are also great for restoring vision.
- Raspberries. The effect of this berry is completely similar to blueberries. You can not only eat fresh berries, but also take medications. Not only the fruits, but also their leaves will be useful. You can prepare them for the winter and make a drink from them, adding a little sugar or honey.
- Anise. A decoction of anise herb can bring even more benefits. It will not only cause myiasis, but can also improve blood circulation in the tissues of the eyeball. This is the most useful way to reduce pupil size.
Now you know how to constrict your pupils yourself. Eye health is the basis for good vision and therefore you should not resort to medications every time. Try to learn how to control the gap in the iris by doing simple exercises or resort to folk remedies.
Traditional medicine
Traditional medicine is not able to lead to quick results and narrow the pupils within a few minutes. However, regular courses of therapy lead to a decrease in the diameter of the pupillary openings. To achieve a positive result, it is recommended:
- Regular consumption of fresh and frozen blueberries, as well as taking dietary supplements that contain them. The berries can be used to prepare vitamin drinks, which are consumed 200 ml 2-3 times a day. Blueberries not only constrict the pupils, but also have a beneficial effect on the functional state of the visual organs, increasing its sharpness.
- Raspberries are as healthy as blueberries. The leaves of the plant are also used as medicinal raw materials. They are used to prepare healthy, aromatic drinks and are consumed in the autumn and winter seasons.
- Anise water is an effective remedy for constricting the pupils, as well as normalizing blood circulation in the eyeballs.
It is necessary to pay special attention to the functional state of the visual organs in order to prevent pathological dilation of the pupils and a decrease in visual acuity. At the first symptoms of a disorder, refrain from self-medication and consult a doctor.
Video: Why a person’s pupil enlarges
Why do you need pupil dilation?
Not only ladies are looking for ways to enlarge their pupils in order to attract the attention of the opposite sex. Often this is also required for more serious medical purposes. Drugs that dilate the pupillary openings are used in the following cases:
- to make an accurate diagnosis in order to fully examine the fundus;
- to check visual acuity if you need to choose glasses or contact lenses;
- during surgical operations on the organs of vision;
- during the treatment of various ophthalmological pathologies.
Depending on the task at hand, a drug with the required duration of action is selected.
Does the pupil always constrict after drops?
The effect of any drops to dilate the pupil lasts no more than a day, but in some people the pupils remain dilated longer than this time. Often this does not affect vision in any way, and only some people experience temporary myopia and a painful reaction to bright light.
The pupillary space may not narrow after using eye drops if adhesions have already appeared in the eye during the dilated state. This phenomenon is especially typical for the drug Atropine.
In this case, a person needs to undergo a rehabilitation course, during which the eyes are alternately dripped with different types of eye drops. This leads to alternating dilation and constriction of the pupil, due to which the adhesions are gradually torn and the pupillary space is normalized.
If, after examining the fundus, the pupil remains very dilated for a long time, you should see an ophthalmologist. It may well be that this is a side reaction from the drops used before the examination.
A strongly dilated pupil always causes caution among others. This is due to the widespread belief that only drug addicts experience dilated pupils after using a hairdryer. However, this is not at all true; a dilated pupillary area occurs after eye drops, which are used before examining the fundus. Pupil dilation can be caused by too much bright light or certain ophthalmological diseases. A common cause of expansion is cataracts, in which case a person needs complex treatment.
A deep, languid gaze makes a woman seductive and can drive any man crazy - in any case, this was what many representatives of the fair sex believed many years ago and continue to believe now. And for the look to look like this, you need to dilate your pupils. You can do this yourself using special eye drops. But since this is not always safe for health and leads to a number of side effects, there are other methods, some of them are quite interesting and unusual, although the effectiveness remains in question.
For information: eye drops that are used to dilate the pupils are called mydriatics, they differ in the mechanism and duration of action, and can have side effects. Therefore, it is better not to use them unless really necessary and without consulting a doctor.
Methods for dilating pupils
You can dilate your pupils at home using several techniques. In some cases, medications are used for this, in others, self-hypnosis or changes in lighting are sufficient.
Eye drops
Drugs that belong to the mydriatic group will help expand the pupillary space. They should be used strictly according to doctor's instructions. It is worth considering that after eye drops, vision deteriorates temporarily:
- Atropine. This medicinal solution has been used for many years to give a languid look. Thanks to this drug, you can dilate your pupils for quite a long time. In this case, the drops begin to act almost instantly. Now the medicine is rarely used, as it has many side effects.
- Tropicamide. This drug begins to act just 20 minutes after contact with the mucous membrane and the effect lasts 3 hours. After this time, vision is completely normalized.
It is worth considering that Tropicamide is sold only with a doctor's prescription, as it is often used by drug addicts.
- Irifrin. This medicine only works for a short time. It is used to diagnose certain ophthalmic diseases. It is worth considering that the medicine is not prescribed to children and people with brain diseases.
The drug Cyclomed will also help to expand the pupillary space. The effect of this medicine lasts about 12 hours. It is worth considering that this drug has many contraindications.
You can start using any medications only as prescribed by your doctor!
A physiological way to relax muscles
You can relax the eye muscles on your own, without any medications. To do this, it is recommended to imagine yourself in a dark room or simply imagine a dark object in front of your eyes.
You can relax your eye muscles by closing your eyes for a minute. But the effect of widened eyes in this case does not last long.
Pupils dilate well after coffee. Caffeine is good at stimulating the sympathetic nervous system. If you want the effect to last for a long time, you should drink a cup of espresso every half hour.
Increased adrenaline
You should imagine something that will raise your adrenaline level. The pupils dilate greatly when a person experiences sexual arousal. To achieve the desired effect, it is enough to imagine a sexual scene or remember something pleasant from your past.
Changing lighting
In order for the pupils to dilate, twilight or darkness is necessary. You can turn off the light and sit in the dark for a few minutes, due to this you can achieve the desired effect. It is worth considering that this effect is short-term.
If you practice, the eye muscles will begin to relax just at the thought of being in a dark room.
Managing Emotions
The pupillary space expands greatly if a person is angry. If you need to dilate your pupils, you need to try to get very angry. Each person probably has in his memory cases that can throw him off balance.
Physical exercise
A number of physical exercises will also help to relax the eye muscles. To do this, you can squat many times in a row or bend your body in different directions. It also helps to turn your head in different directions. You need to do such exercises for 5 minutes, but the effect of dilated pupils does not last long.
