uneven dilating eye

[cheezit101]

About 2 weeks ago i noticed my right eye more dilated then the left. Seems to go back to normal after a while or a light change. but sometimes gets pretty out of wack compared to the other. looking online for what it could be was a bad idea.. everything i read got me totally spooked.

Ive had really bad sinus problems for a month could that be it? also fell surfing ramming water behind that same eye. Got a head cold last week and now that eye feels really pressured and sometimes the surrounding area. i went swimming and right as i put my head underwater i feel intense pressure problems in my sinus areas. so the eye ( almost has to be ) sinuses or water damaged it. but the stuff i read online has me so anxious that i keep getting panick attacks. dont see how it could be bad. 17 years old by the way.

but if anyone has info to share on sinus problems, eyes dialating, or just something comforting to hear im sure itd bring my anxiety down enough for this cold to move threw and my head to get unstuffy. sometimes the pressure gets really intense but i think its either caused by me having some sort of anxiety attack about it.

thanks

[hunny]

Hi

I have uneven pupils and also bad sinuses(I think)

My right pupil is always larger than the left and also seems slower to react , thats the side I have the issues with re my ear/pressure in my eye etc as well

I was told that as long as the pupil is reacting normally to light etc then its fine

H x

[LeeBee]

Hey cheezit

Funnily enough, I was just looking at some older threads on eye problems on the site. Here's one I found that refers to differences in pupil size:

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4083

I'm worried about my eyes at the moment too. Since developing sinusitis about 2 months ago I've had almost constant pressure above my right eye. After this started, I became really paranoid that there was something wrong with my eyes and started looking at them in the mirror all the time. One day at work I noticed that the right pupil was bigger than the left. I freaked out, of course, and started checking my eyes even more often. Sometimes I could see the difference in pupil size, sometimes not. It seemed to be mostly at work.

I went to the optician and he couldn't find anything wrong with my eyes, healthwise (the shortsightedness had got worse in the right eye, but that's another story). I mentioned the difference in pupil size. He looked concerned. He looked into my eyes again and then did several checks on the light response of my eyes. He looked relieved. No problem at all - both eyes responded normally and synchronously to the light.

Anyway, in the end I think I worked it out.

Firstly, it's pretty much impossible to look closely at both of your eyes in the mirror at the same time. Both of your eyes are either looking at your left eye or your right eye. Secondly, your pupils can react to the light extremely rapidly. As fast as a flick of the eye. Thirdly, I realised that the light in the bathroom at my work was uneven - it was slightly lighter in one corner of the room than the other.

So I think what I was seeing was simply my eyes adjusting to the light as I looked at one then the other very rapidly. There was no difference in pupil size.

I'm not saying that this is what is happening in your case and I would advise getting your eyes tested by a specialist (optician, optometrist, ophthalmologist, whatever) to see if the water/sinuses/something else is causing a problem. I'm just saying that it's easy to freak yourself out and see the worst. Tis for me, anyway . The sinus pressure probably isn't helping you because it's making you focus on your eyes and vision. But I'd pop along to an eye specialist and get it checked to put your mind at ease. Hope that helps .

[Alabasterlyn]

I've got one pupil that is always different to the other one and it just happened out of the blue about 20yrs ago. I eventually went to see a Neurologist as I was worried about it and was diagnosed with something called Holmes Aides Pupil. I was just told it was something that happened to a small minority of women and they didn't really know why and that it wasn't anything to worry about.

If you are worried it might be a good idea to see your GP as I know mine was initally diagnosed just by my GP checking my eyes out.

[cheezit101]

thanks for the responses! hearing from you guys deffinetly helps.

LeeBee and hunny, seems to me sinuses must be able to cause the eye to dilate.. or the pressure on it from sinuses cause it to dilate. i meen if just on this site 2 poeple have had it linked together then gota be it. or just stairing at ur eyes untill it actually does mis dialate. then getting so worryed u start noticing it/ causing it. Ive gone threw almost the exact same things LeeBee has. I think its really nothing to worry about. ill check back in later after my cold subsides.

Alabasterlyn can that exist in males too? ill keep my worrying down.. its always good to think of the song. in ur life u may have some trouble, when u worry u make it double. dont worry be happy
thanks again

[rainbow]

Hi, last year i noticed that my left pupil was larger than my right and immediately went into panic mode. I phoned my gp who advised me to see an optometrist to have my eyes looked at. I did that and was convinced she'd find a tumour behind my eye but all the tests turned out fine. She told me that if your eyes react equally to light then its nothing to worry about. She said it could be down to a viral illness or hormonal and that it could just go back to normal but its still the same and i hardly notice it now, although i was panicking terribly for a good while even after i'd had my tests.

Just thought i'd mention that i've noticed the same in my grandson, my daughter and my son and think that there could be something genetic about it. We all have blue eyes and i read somewhere that its more common in people with blue eyes, not sure how accurate that information is but in our case it could be true.

[cheezit101]

Hey guys just posting update on things and looking for advice. My cold is gone but the pressure comes and goes. Sometimes i feel its related to my nose/ what i believe my sinuses. But i went to my doctor ( not eye doc) and he told me he didnt think my sinuses where messed up ( by shining a light threw them he could tell they where clear) I do know the infection i had from the ocean seemed to 100 % be infect my sinuses. night i got it it felt like there was cold air blowing threw my face and it felt so wierd. then i got fatigue and stuff with wierd sensations in the area with a low fever for 2 weeks.

Feels to me like it keeps making a vacume type sensation in there. comes and goes.. when irrated it drives me nuts. I have read so much stuff online that now im so on edge for other symptoms. that i believe i get them. and i dont think its related. I do know my right temple feels sensitive or like i can feel my hair on it. then i lift up my hair and it goes away. if i move my hair around it feels like relief in the temple area/ sinuses. am i so worried its just causing anxiety to mess with me? my eye doesnt seem to be related to the pressure. all of this stress is getting to me though. i feel like i think about it all day every day.

No medical insurence so i cant just get tests done for the hell of it. I really think everything would turn out fine if i did.. like with everyone elses case they get all of these tests done and turn out o.k. But moving forward.. what would be relief from sinuses if it was sinuses? should i take antibiotics? can sinuses pressurize and stuff without mucous problems? what should i do for all of this? My doctor didnt diagnose me with anything so it keeps my guessing game going. he told me its normal to feel random things from time to time, and your body will heal itself. and that if i wanted an mri or something of that sort.. which would end the guessing game. itd be pricey. not to mention im terrified of stuff like that. ( and chances are im fine) after waiting like.. well 1 month of dilating worry. 2 weeks of irratation. im really starting to get compeltley fed up with it and the stress it brings.

doesnt help ive had a sprained ankle for the last month too.. been sitting around the house with plenty of time to get out of shape and sit around worrying some more. do you think if somehow i completley elminate the stress from it out of my life, it will go away completley? like its caused by stress? i know when i wake up in the morning i feel fine for like 2 hours. if it where needing urgent attention im sure itd already have something happen.

keep in mind ive had anxiety / panick attack problems for 5 years. its gotten better but this is bringing stuff back. panick attacks have kept me out of school though. and after all of this stupid sinus stuff is over. im gona go back and just get dizzy/ faint infront of everyone, relize im fine, and get over it. i personally still think everything is my sinuses, and im amping it up to the max. so how to kick this sh1t help me out. peace

[LeeBee]

Hey cheezit, sorry you're feeling so stressed, and I bet that ankle really isn't helping. My sinus problems also continue, although I now have an ulcerated throat which is taking my mind off them .

I've had almost no blocked-up nose at all with my sinusitis. But I have had post-nasal drip, which is where the mucus goes down your throat, not out of your nose. When my nose gets dry, mostly in air-conditioned environments, that's when the pain and pressure in my face and around my eyes is worst. I think this is because the mucus membranes dry out and get sore and inflamed. What helps me is getting that mucus moving and keeping the membranes moist:

* Steam is excellent. Bowl of boiling water, let it sit for a minute so you don't burn yourself. Get a towel, put it over your head and the bowl and just breathe in the steam for about 10 minutes. You should find that your nose runs and/or you get post nasal drip. Try yawning every now and then to help move the mucus out of your eustachian tubes. You might find that your ears 'pop'. Try blowing your nose a few times.
* Decongestant inhalants containing eucalyptus oil like Olbas. You can inhale them from a tissue or add a few drops to a bowl of steam.
* Saline nasal drops. You should be able to get these from a pharmacy. They are not medicated - basically just PH-balanced salt water.
* Sometimes gently massaging your face can help get the mucus moving. But don't do this if it is uncomfortable, obviously.

Some people swear by decongestant drugs but personally they make me even more anxious and dry out my sinuses leaving them tender so I stay away from them. Hot steamy showers or baths help because of the steam, and they have the bonus of relaxing the rest of you too. Antibiotics will only help if you have a bacterial infection. Bacterial sinus infection is usually accompanied by lots of green mucus. If your doctor prescribed them then you should give them a go, but if not then I wouldn't bother.

Hope that helps. Good luck and try not to worry too much - I'm sure the doctor would have recommended more tests or suggested another diagnosis if he/she thought there was something serious going on. Although I would go back if you feel just as bad in a week or two. Hope you feel better soon.