Dilated Pupils - Causes

The general anatomy of an eye tells us that the pupils are the black circles that are present in the middle of the eye. These must not be confused with the eye balls, as the eye balls contain a variety of muscles and tissues that perform a myriad number of functions. The basic function of the eye is to see things, and the pupil helps in this cause. There are a number of dilated pupils causes though, that result in the pupil getting enlarged, causing a condition known as Mydriasis.

In order for the eye to see things, light must be permitted to enter the eye and reach the cells that sensitize to this light. These cells are present towards the back portion of the eyes, and it is the pupil which acts as the opening through which the light enters the eye and reaches these cells. Dilated pupils causes end up with the widening of the pupil, thus resulting in a greater amount of light being permitted to pass through to the back of the eyes. This occurs with the help of the iris, which is a circular muscular ring that is present around the pupil. The expansion and the contraction of the iris causes the pupil to widen or narrow down, thus it is one of the most common dilated pupils causes.

Causes of Dilated Pupils
There are a few well-known dilated pupils causes that bring on this situation. These causes are known to eye specialists and medical experts around the world, and this is usually a harmless condition, unless it is occurring for extended periods of time. In that case an over exposure to light may occur, and the eye could get damaged as a result. Given below are some of the most commonly seen dilated pupils causes.

Drugs and Medications
There are certain over the counter drugs and medications that are the most widespread causes of dilated pupils. Apart from these legal medications certain illegal drugs and narcotics also end up causing the pupils to dilate. Almost every brand of illegal drug is known to be a cause of this, and out of the many signs that users of marijuana, cocaine, crystal meth, ecstasy, mushrooms and LSD show, dilated pupils are one of the first things that medical specialists look for.

When a person visits an eye doctor for a check up, there are certain eye drops that are put in their eyes. These drops also cause the pupils to dilate, thus making it easier for the specialist to examine the eye properly. These drugs are known as Mydriatics, and they enable the study of the retina and the iris to be done easily. The main concern with involuntary pupil dilation is that it causes more light to pass through the eye, so the potential for damaging the eye is very high. In many cases, a person is made to wear sunglasses for some time after he has been administered a dose of mydriatics.

Darkness
One of the most common dilated pupils causes is the amount of light that is present in a certain place. Being in a relatively dark area causes the pupils to dilate, as this facilitates more light to enter the eye, and thus enables one to see better in dark areas. Alternately, at times when there is too much light the pupils actually contract so that the eye does not get damaged. You may have noticed that as soon as you enter a dark room you are unable to see anything, but after a few minutes your eye gets accustomed to the lack of light and you start seeing properly again. This occurs due to the dilation of the pupils which kicks in after a few minutes.

Poisoning
Another well-known cause of pupil dilation is exposure to some kind of biological or chemical poison. These have an adverse effect on the body, and the most common symptoms that they produce are dilated pupils. Out of the many dilated pupils causes this is possibly the most dangerous as the poison can have certain other effects on the body as well. If you feel that you are experiencing dilated pupils due to exposure to poison of some kind, you must immediately visit a doctor to prevent the poison from spreading and affecting any other parts of your body.

Sexual Arousal
Scientific studies have shown that the act of arousal in the human body is linked to the central nervous system in some way. When a person is aroused or sees someone they find attractive, the nervous system plays a part in causing a lot of effects on the body. Dilation of the pupils is one of the common effects that sexual arousal has on the body, since it is the nervous system that controls the iris of each eye as well.

As mentioned earlier, pupil dilation is not something very serious in itself. But if it is lasting involuntarily for a stretched period of time it could damage the eye. In such a scenario the eye must be protected from excessive sunlight. When you read about the various dilated pupils causes though, you get slightly more alarmed, as this condition could imply certain other unwanted scenarios like drug addiction or poisoning. If you are witnessing dilated pupils in children you must consult a doctor about the implications of the condition. One must take even extra care and visit a doctor immediately, if it is only one of the pupils that is dilated. This is usually an indicator of some kind of disease or ailment.