Uneven pupils

[chellebelle]

Hi guys! i was just wondering if anyone else has one pupil larger than the other? I check my pupils all the time when i'm panicking and it's only been recently that i've noticed that at times my left pupil is larger than my right. i went straight to my doc (of course) and he, who usually reassures me it's just anixety, seemed a little concerned and has agreed to give me an MRI, as I also have really bad headaches. I've googled (oops) and the only thing i can find that causes uneven pupils is a rare syndrome that doesn't fit or pressure on the brain. I am so scared that I have a tumor - (coz i also have headaches and dizziness). I had a CT scan last September which was clear but I'm scared I'll die before my MRI this week. [I've rambled a bit, okay a lot, here] but i guess i want to know does anyone else have uneven pupils and is it likely i'll drop dead before the MRI?

"This too shall pass"

[honeybee3939]

Hi Chellebelle

Im sure you have nothing to worry about, my sister as one pupil bigger than the other and as never had any problems. I dont know what causes this to happen but know its not serious.
Also David Bowie the pop artist as one pupil bigger than the other,so your not alone hun so try not to worry.

Love

Andrea
xxxx

"If you have a worry turn it into a problem, you cant solve worrys but you can solve problems"

[angstsoup]

Hi Chelle,
I recall responding to this topic when anohter member posted not too long ago.
As I posted before, please do not worry.
I went to my opthamologist ( I had using a new one and then went back to old one for a second opinion) and she noted that my pupils were uneven. She also noted that I had a droopy lid on one eye ( hey, I am no longer 18 years old LOL)
She wanted me to go see a neuro opthamologist. I was a wreck. Trust me.
He was very sweet and in fact he was rather surprised the opthamalogist sent me at all.
He said that my uneven pupils are probably physiological meaning I was born with it and it means nothing at all.
The female opthamologist who sent me to the neuro- opthamologist has known me for years- who knows? she may have never noted it before.
Us anxiety sufferers do not need much to send us into " freak out " mode.
I have had flashes in the eyes, blurryness and a sense that one eye is out of focus. The next thing I know the anxiety meter is set into gear and my mind starts to run with it.
I had this uneven pupil visit only a few months ago.
You are fine- think about it- there are people that have one breast bigger then the other. My sister in law in fact always has very large pupils.
Please PM me if you need a shoulder or ear.
Try to relax. All is well with you.
Best regards from across the pond.



Hugs,

Soup

" I have developed a new philosophy.....I only dread one day at a time." Charlie Brown

[Joe1981]

Some days i'll look in the mirror and my pupils will not be the same size.. So try not to stress about it.. :)

[traciec39]

hi chelle and hi guys
if you look back at posts in symptoms dated back approx 6 months you will see that i posted a article on this exact thing.
Mine is also my left pupil and like you i always think ive got a tumour.
It actually a condition called adies tonic pupil and your doc wont know too much about it as its an opticians field.
The big difference between a worrying pupil difference is that both pupild should react to light change etc, before your mri which im sure you dont need, see an optician who has heard of this condition. Ive now had this for over 10 years and the docs think that the use of anti depressants could have caused it, its harmless and we should be happy cos we are quite unique!!!

I can actually feel it when mine changes to large, can you?
please contact me if you need any advise
take care and relax sweetie its harmless
luv tracie xx

I CAN, I WILL , I AM

[anxious]

Hi There,
i also have one pupil smaller than the other and have had it checked out at the opticians. Although i was probably born with it no one noticed until i was about 25. I actually took my son who's nearly 3 to the opticians last week and apparantly he has the same.
hth, anx x

Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects

[kittykat]

Hey ,

Dont worry about this my daughter is 12 and has one pupil larger than the other, I first noticed it in a school photo. She had an eye test recently and all is fine and she is perfectly healthy. But this health anxiety can really scare you sometimes into thinking the worst.

Take care

shirley xx

'' I am an optimist, but I'm an optimist who carries a raincoat. '' - Harold Wilson

[chellebelle]

Thanks so much everyone for your reassurances and comfort. It means more than I can ever say
! I just this second got off the phone and my MRI scan was clear...now I've just got to believe it :D!


"This too shall pass"

[ceecee]

thats great news chelle
you must be soooo pleased!!!!
take care
rach x

[traciec39]

hi chelle

im so pleased for you xxxxx (told you it was harmless)

Now honey you like me have just got to learn to live with it

luv tracie xxxx

I CAN, I WILL , I AM

[lmd]

A few weeks ago a coworker noticed that my pupils were uneven. I went and checked and noticed that they were slightly but tried to blow it off, then last week my wife noticed the same thing. At that point I got really scared and made an appointment to see an opthamologist. He looked at my eyes for a while and diagnosed me with Aide's Pupil. He said I could go to a neuro-opthamologist if I wanted to, but he didn't think it was necessary. I made an appointment to see the neuro-opthamologist right after I saw the opthamologist but it's not until March 5.

The morning after going to the opthamologist I woke up in a complete state of panic with shooting pains in my head, neck and legs and decided to go to the Emergency Room. I told the ER doc my story and he ordered a CT of my head 'just to reassure' me. It came back normal. You would think that I would be reassured by that, but I have been in a debilitating state of anxiety since then (3 days ago) with leg pain, head pain, neck pain and numbness / tingling in my hands and fingers.

I have a history of health anxiety and was even hospitalized for it about ten years ago. I've been on Paxil ever since, and I thought I was 'cured,' but it seems to be back with a vengeance. Even knowing that I have a history of this I can't stop looking things up on the web and constantly checking my eyes to try to determine if I really have Aide's or something like Horner's syndrome, which is usually a sign of a tumor in the chest or neck. I might add that I had a chest X-Ray a few months ago because of a thumping feeling in my chest that I've had for years, but with all this testing I am still anxious and depressed to the point that I can't do anything but look up info on the web and check my eyes.

Sorry for the long rambling message, but I'm hoping someone will understand and maybe tell me something that will help. Thanks.

[ams]

Aargh. I just went to the optician for an annual exam because of floaters/flashers I was seeing. He looked things over, dilated my eyes, and said all looked good.

Afterward, I was noticing a slight difference in color that sometimes occurs between my two eyes (a brightly colored jacket, or instance wll look more vibrant through one eye and a little dull through the other). One eye also seemed to be a little blurry. I actually called him up to mention it, and he said that he had looked at my optic nerve, and that he saw no sign of any nerve problem, so not to worry about it. Of course, I've since read that optic neuritis isn't always picked out by looking at the optic nerve, so I'm still nervous about it.

And, to top it off, when looking at my eyes (perhaps too closely) tonight, I was putting lights on them to test their reactivity. Both seemed to dilate/constrict properly (I think), but I became convinced that one pupil is larger than the other. It seems worse when they're constricted, like one constricts less, and doesn't stay as small. Not by a huge margin, but now that's driving me nuts, too. I know, logically, that if it were a problem, he would have noticed, but I can't help but worry about it...I've been Google-free for weeks, but succumbed today, and, of course, have all sorts of nasty visions in my head of what might be wrong. It would be crazy to call this guy again tomorrow, right?

I know I need to just forget about it. I just had my eyes examined this morning, after all, and had a checkup with my GP earlier in the month, and he looked at my eyes as well, and mentioned nothing. I haven't even been able to get confirmation that one pupil is bigger (I'm home alone for the evening). Some reassurance would be beneficial...I'm almost as bugged by the fact that I'm anxious as I am by the actual anxiety!!

Adam