What is the reason when wide pupils. What does the human pupil say? psychologists reveal the secret. Pupils of contemplation or stress

Perhaps the most effective method of visually determining whether a person is taking drugs is through the pupils. The pupil is the dark opening in the iris of the eye. It limits the amount of light reaching the retina.

How to know if a person is a drug addict

A LITTLE THEORY:

Changes in the size of the pupil occur in response to light irritation of the retina, convergence of the visual axes of both eyes, eye strain to distinguish between objects located at different distances from each other, and also in response to stimuli of a different nature. The size of the pupil changes due to two muscles of the iris: the circular one, which provides constriction of the pupil, and the radial one, which provides expansion.

In a sober person, the pupil is never absolutely calm. The constant movements of the pupil depend on numerous stimuli: increased human activity, pain, emotional stress, strong fear, a sudden sharp stimulus (push, loud sound) lead to the expansion of the pupils. So the human body tries to quickly get visual information about the stimulus. The addict's pupil is in one position (during the action of the drug), sometimes changing slightly literally by 1 mm.

HOW TO IDENTIFY A DRUG addict?

The pupil can indicate the type of drug taken. How it looks is shown in the pictures (photo) 1,2,3

FIGURE 1 THE PUPILE IS NORMAL (THE PERSON IS SOBER)

In moderate lighting it is in the average size, changing depending on the brightness of the light, the pupil is constantly in motion from constricted to dilated.

The sharpness of the change in lighting also affects, so if you shine a flashlight into the eyes, then the pupil of a sober person will immediately work to constrict, turning off the bright light, the pupil will expand - this is a sign of the normal functioning of the pupil, after such manipulations, the pupil of the drug addict will be in one position, in which ? narrowed or widened, see figures 2 and 3.

FIGURE 2 THE EYES OF A DRUG addict

The pupil of the addict - Heroin, morphine, poppy drugs, codeine-containing medications (terpincod, codelac, nurofen, etc.) - cause constriction.

The pupil of the eye is narrowed (small), does not respond to changes in lighting, if you shine a flashlight for a few seconds and turn it off, then the pupils will remain in one, narrowed position, for people who understand such situations, the eyes of a drug addict with a narrowed pupil are suspicious already from a distance of 1-2 meters.

For your information, the duration of action of drugs such as opiates (opioids), heroin, morphine, codeine, etc. is about 5 hours, by this time the pupils of the eye begin to function gradually, the reaction of the pupil to light is almost imperceptible, but it is still present. As the active substance (drug) leaves the body, this happens after 5 hours after use, the addict sobers up and the pupil's functionality is gradually restored.

FIGURE 3 THE EYES OF A DRUG addict

The pupil of the addict - Cocaine, amphetamine, ecstasy, LSD, perevintin (screw in slang) causes a noticeable dilation of the pupils.

The pupil in this position is immediately noticeable, usually the effect of such drugs lasts about 24 hours (except for cocaine, which has an effect of 1-1.5 hours), and the pupil can be dilated after a day or more, sometimes coming to the middle position, then expanding again, this happens as the person sobers up.

In some cases, after using perevintina ("screw" in slang), the pupil remains dilated for two days. When checked with a flashlight, the pupil remains in an expanded, large state, slightly changing literally by 1 mm, depending on the time that the drug has been taken.

Marijuana, hemp, hashish, etc. can cause both constriction and dilation of the pupil. After taking this drug, the white of the addict's eye becomes pink or reddened, inflamed (swollen) vessels are visible, and most importantly, the addict's eyes become "glassy" (glare in the light).

The color of the iris (eye color: blue, gray, brown, etc.) does not play a role, but the darker it is, the more difficult the diagnosis.

If you see a person very often with non-standard pupils, then this is the first sign of drug use.

Usually a person uses one drug. When a child or relative returns home, look into the eyes if the pupil is consistently irregular and the same size either large or small - this is a sign of drug use.

Do not forget, a small or large pupil is a reaction to light, darkness or in the sun, but a constantly small or large pupil is a sign of use. Change the lighting or turn the flashlight on and off by shining it in their eyes. In a sober person, the pupil will constantly change, narrow in bright light, expand in the dark, the pupil of the drug addict will be in one position (in what? See photo pictures 1,2,3).

This will be of interest to you:

If a person has been seen using opiates (heroin, codeine, poppy, tramal, zaldiar, etc.), such drug addicts use some tricks to mask the pupil. The trick is that pharmacies sell a lot of drugs that dilate pupils purposefully and not.

An enlarged pupil also indicates a withdrawal syndrome (refusal to use, withdrawal, drug hangover). published

human pupil can tell a lot. Our pupils, those black holes that let light into our eyes, don't just help us see. They also signal what is going on in our minds.

Here are 10 clues, compiled from various psychological studies, that show how changing pupil size reveals many mysteries.

1. The pupil says "I'm thinking hard"

If you ask a person a difficult question, to which he quickly does not find an answer, his pupils will dilate. The man thinks. Research has shown that the more our brains work, the more our pupils dilate. As psychologists Hess and Polt (1964) gave participants more and more difficult tasks, their pupils dilated more and more.

2. The pupil says "My brain is overloaded"

If a person is given a very difficult task, then with prolonged and intense thinking, his eyes will narrow.

Psychologist Pook (1973) reported that when participants' minds were loaded to 125% of their capacity, their pupils constricted.

3. The pupil says "I have brain damage"

Doctors and paramedics flash a light in a patient's eyes to check if their brains are working properly. Pupils should be the same size and round shape, and respond to light.

4. The pupil says "I'm interested in you"

A person's pupil size can also signal that I'm interested in what the other person is saying.

Psychologists White and Maltzman (1977) had participants listen to excerpts from three books: one was erotic, the second contained cruelty and violence, and the third was neutral. At first, the participants' pupils dilated for all three. But they remained wide only for scenes of erotica and cruelty.

A person is always slightly interested in any new information. Therefore, his pupils dilate a little at first. But they will remain expanded only if interest does not fade away.

5. The pupil says "You turn me on"

With sexual interest, our eyes also "take part." In both men and women, the pupils dilate when they are sexually aroused (psychologist Bernick et al., 1971).

However, not everyone agrees that large pupils are a signal of sexual arousal. There have been several studies, and some psychologists are of the opinion that people are just always interested in nudity.

6. The pupil says "You disgust me"

Just as a person's pupils expand when they are interested or sexually aroused, they constrict when a person is disgusted.

The psychologist Hess (1972) showed people photographs of injured children. First, people's pupils dilated out of shock, then they contracted to try and avoid the disturbing images.

7. The pupil says "I recognize my (or strangers)"

Psychologist Barlow (1969) showed people photographs of leaders of the Liberal Party. The pupils of liberals widened when they saw liberal comrades and contracted when they saw conservatives. Conservatives reacted in exactly the opposite way.

8. Pupil Says “I Hurt”

Psychologist Chapman et al. (1999) gave small electric shocks to people's fingertips and measured how dilated their pupils were. At maximum intensity, the pupils dilated by about 0.2 mm.

9. The pupil says "I'm on drugs"

Some medications, such as alcohol and opiates, cause the pupils to constrict. Others, such as amphetamines, cocaine, LSD, and mescaline cause them to expand.

The police know about this and some use it as one of the ways to check. Typically, police look for pupils that are constricted to less than 3 mm or dilated to more than 6.5 mm (psychologist Richman, 2004).

10. The eye tells about a person's personality

This item is not related to the dilation of the pupils, but it is very interesting. You can learn a lot about a person from the iris of the eye. There is a whole science - iridology, but you can’t tell about it in a nutshell.

Of course, the pupil is too small, and it is difficult for a person to notice its changes. But scientists believe that people perceive information about the pupil of the interlocutor subconsciously, along with other non-verbal signals.

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Pupil dilation may occur due to natural causes, or it may be a symptom of an emerging disease that occurs in people of different ages.

Dilated pupils are also called mydriasis, which means a pupil with a dilated diameter.

The pupil changes size due to contraction of the circular and radial muscles. The circular muscle is responsible for the narrowing, and the radial muscle for its expansion.

Dilated pupils, natural causes:

reaction to light. It appears in people of all ages. In the absence of other symptoms of any disease, you should not worry;
reaction to eye drops. Some of the eye treatments cause dilation of the pupils, but the reaction gradually subsides and there are no negative consequences;
reaction to darkness
stress;
attraction to the opposite sex.

Scientists during the study found that dilated pupils are also a reaction to:

naked women in men;
children in women.

From this we can conclude that excluding medical reasons, people can have dilated pupils when they see what they like.

Besides natural causes, why do pupils dilate?

They can expand due to the appearance and development of pathologies and diseases in the human body.

Such pathologies include:

aneurysm;
damage to the optic nerve;
the appearance and development of a brain tumor;
increased eye pressure caused by the appearance of glaucoma;
prolonged and frequent migraines;
swelling of the lymph node located in the upper part of the chest;
diabetes;
contusion;
lack of oxygen;
skull trauma;
reaction to medication;
intracranial pressure;
intoxication of the body;
epilepsy;
worms.

Wide pupils in most cases can be observed with the use of drugs, the manifestation of the disease and injury.

It is known that the pupils can increase in the dark, this allows a person to see better in the dark. However, if the pupils do not dilate when exposed to light, this may be a symptom of intoxication of the body. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Adie-Holmes syndrome

Adie-Holmes syndrome or dilated pupil syndrome in another way. It is characterized by paralysis of the eye muscles, as a result of which the eyes lose sensitivity to light.

The main symptom of Adie-Holmes syndrome is dilated pupil, but its diameter may be different. When a person with this syndrome examines something from a close distance, the pupil narrows, and then instantly expands. Vision in Adie-Holmes syndrome drops significantly.

Some of the factors that cause it to appear are:

metabolic disorder;
damaged ciliary node. This causes a violation of the innervation of the ciliary muscle and the sphincter of the iris. Because of this, the pupils dilate and myopia appears;
avitaminosis;
infectious diseases.
Adie-Holmes syndrome symptoms:
the pupil increases in only one eye;
weak reaction to light or its complete absence.

The syndrome most often manifests itself in women after 30 years. It is possible to restore vision, which has fallen due to the development of the syndrome, and the reaction to light may be lost without the possibility of recovery.

Psychological factors

The nervous system has a direct influence on the optic nerves, as does a person's emotional stability. Due to emotional instability, hormones are released into the blood. As a result, the pupils are enlarged.

Reasons for pupil dilation:

fright;
fear;
extreme situation;
bouts of aggression;
sadness.

If such reasons have been noticed, it is necessary to contact specialists for medical help.

There are cases when the expansion is caused by genetic factors and is accompanied by certain signs:

eye redness;
cramps and pain in the eyes;
blurred vision in bright light. Spots in the eyes or sharp flashes may appear;
decrease in visual acuity.
a person with these symptoms is practically blind in the dark.

Use of third party substances

Among other factors, the increase in human pupils is influenced by alcoholic and narcotic substances. After their use, the pupil is in an expanded state for at least another two days.

In addition to the fact that a person who has taken drugs has dilated pupils, their use can be recognized by a number of signs:

redness and shine of the eyes;
lack of response to light;
clearly defined vessels in the eyes;
unhealthy skin. Pale or sickly yellow;
poor coordination;
speech change. Slow, fast, or too sharp.

Mydriasis in teenagers

Most often, dilated pupils in a teenager are due to the use of drugs or alcohol. Parents should be very careful and pay attention to the condition of the child.

Drug use is not as easy to recognize as alcohol use. Drug use is not accompanied by a specific smell, unlike alcoholic beverages.

In addition to dilated pupils, there are signs that you first need to pay attention to:

increased excitability or weakness;
mood swings for no apparent reason;
insomnia;
strong thirst;
unhealthy appearance: circles under the eyes and severe weight loss.

However, it is worth remembering that the presence of one of these signs can be a harbinger of the disease. For example, worms are accompanied by circles under the eyes, insomnia, weight loss. Also, the infected have permanently dilated pupils.

If one or more signs appear, it is better to take the child to a specialist and solve the problem before it is too late.

Permanently dilated pupils

If the pupils are constantly dilated, this may be a sign of damage to the optic nerves and loss of pupillary sensitivity to light. At the same time, when a person looks at the light, pain in the eyes begins.

People who have these symptoms need to be careful in the dark, as they will hardly be able to see in the dark. It is advisable not to drive at night.

A similar vision problem is typical for adults. Since children's eyes are more sensitive to light.

You should not treat the appearance of such symptoms carelessly. You should immediately consult a doctor who can make the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment until irreversible damage to the eyes occurs.

Some parents are concerned about the question: “Why does my small child have dilated pupils?”.

There is no reason to worry if the increase does not exceed 1 mm from the norm.

Young children generally have larger pupils than adults.

Moreover, they subconsciously try to attract attention to themselves, which is why the size of their pupils is constantly increasing. It will decrease with age.

Dilated pupils are a fairly common phenomenon, which may be the result of a natural reaction of the eyes to light, and may indicate some very serious diseases that can appear in both an adult and a child.

In some cases, a child may have dilated pupils from birth.

As a rule, such expansion does not affect visual acuity. However, it is best to report this to the optometrist during the examination, in order to be completely sure that everything is in order with the baby.

The dilation of the pupils in the medical language is called mydriasis.Constriction of the pupil is called miosis.

Do not forget that pupils always dilate when adrenaline is pumped into the blood under the influence of external factors (for example, something frightening). Strong negative emotions associated with the release of adrenaline can also enlarge the pupils quite a lot. For a child, even a bad grade at school can be such an occasion.

There are a lot of reasons for dilated pupils, and they all talk about the internal state of a person. That is why during an operation or to determine the condition of a person who has fainted, the doctor must check the condition of the pupils. So, with light anesthesia, the pupils always narrow, and with deep anesthesia, on the contrary, they are always dilated. If the pupils are too dilated or not dilated enough, then something could go wrong during anesthesia.

Experiments conducted with professional card players showed that few of them won if the opponent was wearing dark glasses. A successful combination of cards in the hands makes the pupils of a person expand. This is subconsciously noted by the partner and accordingly plans his move. Deprived of such "signaling", the player loses more often than usual. This phenomenon was known in ancient China to jade and pearl traders. They wore dark glasses on purpose, so that dilated pupils would not betray their excitement at the sight of especially valuable specimens and would not allow the seller to raise the price.

You can learn to control your gaze by willpower, but learning to control your pupils is almost impossible. Keep an eye on your partner's pupils - the dynamics of changes in their size will allow you to quite accurately determine his condition and attitude towards you. Pupil dilation indicates increased interest in you, while pupil contraction indicates hostility and rejection.

Normally, the pupils dilate:

In the dark- a decrease in the level of illumination causes the expansion of the pupil by 1.5 times, such a reaction can persist for a long time after normalization of illumination;

due to strong emotions- any strong emotions - joy, fear, anger, surprise - cause the release of hormones into the blood, which automatically dilates the pupils;

interested in a person or thing- when looking at an object or person that is of interest to us, the pupils automatically dilate, in an attempt to see as much as possible. In men and women, such a reaction is observed when communicating with a person of the opposite sex they like;

because of good mood- the release of endorphins into the blood is also accompanied by an increase in the size of the pupils. Psychologists believe that open, positive people who love life in all its manifestations, the pupil is constantly dilated, but constricted pupils are characteristic of people who are boring, sad and pessimistic. Moreover, the older a person is, the less their pupils dilate, which is connected, in addition to physiological reasons, and with a change in attitude towards negativism.

Physiological pupillary dilation is usually subtle and passes quickly, but constant or unilateral dilation of the pupils is a reason to visit a neurologist or therapist.

So, for thyroid problems, or rather, with a noticeable increase in functions, an expansion will occur, but with a decrease, a narrowing.

It is also possible to define state of intraocular pressure. Increasing expands, decreasing narrows..

in myopia, the pupils of a person dilate, but when farsightedness occurs, they will arrive in a state of narrowing. In addition, with a constant and inexorable deterioration in the quality of vision, the pupil will gradually expand. This is due to the fact that he simply seeks to let more light into the organs of vision. By the way, completely blind people have incredibly wide pupils.

Inflammation of the membranes of the brain - meningitis, as well as an increase in intracranial pressure in the early stages cause constriction, and in the later stages - dilation of the pupil. Unilateral pupil dilation indicates the side of the brain lesion.

The pupil is never completely calm.

Its constant movements depend on numerous external and internal stimuli. A state of increased activity, emotional stress, fear, pain, an unexpected sharp stimulus (a push, a loud sound) cause the pupils to dilate. Thus, the body tries to get visual information about the stimulus as quickly as possible.

Before death, the pupils also dilate sharply. During sleep or a state of rest, depression, depression, fatigue, the pupils constrict, reducing the flow of light, as if automatically turning off the visual information channel of the brain's excitation.

With age, the area of the pupil decreases due to a decrease in the intensity of metabolic, motor, mental and other processes, as well as the functions of various systems associated with the aging of the body. Such narrowing of the pupils is caused by a decrease in the level of bioenergetic activity of the brain.

And the artificial narrowing of the pupil, as well as a decrease in general illumination, reduces the energy potential of the brain. Remember how unpleasant, tiring to work at dusk. The hand reaches out to turn on the light as soon as possible.

Recently, a special disease called Bene Dilitatism has been discovered., which is characterized by the described clinical manifestation. It occurs due to partial or complete damage to the optic nerves due to various internal (inflammatory process, bacterial, viral or fungal infection, chronic diseases) or external (mechanical injuries and damage) causes.

In Bene Dilitatism, the ability of the nerves to respond to changes in light gradually deteriorates, to the point of being completely lost over time. As a result of this process, the pupil constantly increases in diameter, which is why dilated pupils increase in diameter, since visual acuity in rooms with insufficient lighting is rapidly declining (in the dark, a sick person sees practically nothing and cannot navigate).

Typically, patients with Bene Dilitatism have a pupil size of 7 to 8 mm. Additionally, the following symptomatic phenomena are noted:

pain in the eyes from bright light;
tearing and redness of the eyelids;
photophobia;
decreased visual acuity at night;
visual distortions in bright light (spots and lines before the eyes, flashes).

The size of our pupils is constantly changing - either increasing or decreasing. Why is this happening? There are several explanations for this phenomenon...

The pupil is a black round hole in the center of the iris to limit the access of light to the retina. A change in its size occurs after irritation of the retina with light, information of the optical axes of the eyes. Further, to initialize objects and their location, the change is made by the action of two muscles of the iris: reduction - circular, expansion - radial.

In a healthy person, the pupils are rarely in a calm state - they constantly narrow and expand. This is due to changes in lighting, environment and mood.

For example, they increase as a result of:

Increased activity.
Pain.
Emotional overstrain.
Fear or horror.
Sudden or sharp scream, knock, push.

It is by dilating the pupils that a person seeks to obtain as much information as possible about the environment. Therefore, in the dark, their size also changes and can reach 4-9 mm (in the light - 3-5 mm).

Some parents are concerned about the question: “Why does my small child have dilated pupils?”. There is no reason to worry if the increase does not exceed 1 mm from the norm. Young children generally have larger pupils than adults. Moreover, they subconsciously try to attract attention to themselves, which is why the size of their pupils is constantly increasing. It will decrease with age.

The condition, when the pupils of a child or an adult are always enlarged, may indicate partial damage to the optic nerve. In such cases, even under normal lighting, they do not narrow, and the light can cause pain to the eyes.

midriaz

The dilation of the pupils in the medical language is called mydriasis. It can be physiological, for example, when the pupil expands in the dark, and pathological, if the change is caused artificially:

mydriatic eye drops (atropine, etc.);
illness or injury;
insufficient nutrition of the eyes;
increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system;
damage to the oculomotor nerve;
stroke or epilepsy;
chemical poisoning.

The mydriatic pupil does not change its size even in bright light.

If the pupils of a child or an adult increase by more than 1 mm for no apparent reason, then you should contact an ophthalmologist even if there are no other complaints.

Anger, sadness or interest

Our body reacts differently to everything. For example, anger or sadness is manifested by rapid breathing, heart palpitations, sweating, flushing of the face, and dilated pupils.

In 1965, a study was conducted, the purpose of which was to determine whether it is possible to recognize the interest of people in the pupils? Women and men were offered different photographs: landscapes, babies, mothers with children and naked men and women. So the landscapes in both sexes did not cause any reaction. In men, dilation of the pupils was observed at the sight of naked women, and in women at the sight of babies, mother and child, naked men.

So it was revealed that the pupils can be used to judge the degree of interest: the wider they are, the greater the interest of a person. By the way, sexual arousal greatly increases their size.

The first sign of addiction

The use of cocaine, amphetamine, ecstasy, LSD, and screw (screw) leads to dilated pupils. This is usually visible right away.

The pupil can be in an expanded state for up to 24 hours - after cocaine 1.5 hours, the screw is about 2 days. When checking the eyes with light, its size remains the same or changes slightly.

Marijuana and its derivatives cause both constriction and dilation of the pupils. After use, the eyes become red and, as it were, “glassy” (glare in the light), vessels stand out. A person with such eyes always arouses suspicion of drug use.

When a teenage child has often enlarged pupils, behavior has changed, parents should be wary. When he returns home, you need to look into his eyes: by the "glassy" shine of the eyes, constricted or dilated pupils, drug addiction can be suspected.

A constant change in pupil size is a normal reaction of the eyes to changes in lighting, environment, mood, etc. The same size for a long time (from an hour to 2 days), “glassy” eyes are a sign of drug use.

Anatomy of the eye - a visual video about the work and purpose of the pupil and iris:

If bad suspicions about the child crept in, then you can check them like this: change the lighting and check if there are any changes. Or shine a flashlight in your eyes. If the pupils do not narrow or dilate, then you need to sound the alarm (even if the child does not use).

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