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Pupil size (eyes) and epilepsy

Tue, 04/13/2010 - 20:04

Having a seizure temporarily changes pupil size for some persons.  Is it more common for a seizure to dilate the pupil or shrink the pupil?  Why?  Do many persons experience no change in eye pupil size during a seizure?  Insights?  Experiences?

Comments

Re: Pupil size (eyes) and epilepsy

Submitted by tamskater on Tue, 2010-04-13 - 22:31

Hi,

 

Sometimes, when I am in the ER, the doctors notice that the pupil in my left eye remains large. There are days when I have seen this as well.

My son, who is also epileptic, also has days when his pupils are enlarged when they shouldn't be.

Hi,

 

Sometimes, when I am in the ER, the doctors notice that the pupil in my left eye remains large. There are days when I have seen this as well.

My son, who is also epileptic, also has days when his pupils are enlarged when they shouldn't be.

Re: Pupil size (eyes) and epilepsy

Submitted by drowsydreamer on Wed, 2010-04-14 - 14:23
My fiance says that when I'm having a seizure my pupils dilate. I usually have simple partials, and usually the ones that have severe emotional effects- basically I'm having a panic attack that happens to be caused by a seizure- seem to be the most obvious cause of pupil dilation. I don't know why this is, but I'm more focused on other things (like trying to figure out where I am or what's going on). It would be interesting to know the scientific reasoning behind it.

Re: Pupil size (eyes) and epilepsy

Submitted by snowwoman on Thu, 2010-04-15 - 17:48

Hi Drowsy...

My best guess would be that during a seizure, and subsequent panic attack that follows, the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) is activated. The SNS is the body's fight-or-flight system and prepares you if you need to flee, fight, run, etc. During the activation of the SNS (for people with no sz), physiological responses such as heart rate increases, there is increase in sweating, trembling, dry mouth etc--think how you would feel if you suddenly had to give a speech in front of 1000 people, or were suddenly told you won the lottery. Pupillary dilation is another sign of SNS activation.

My BEST educated guess is during a sz, the brain goes into overdrive, and the neurons are firing randomly and also over-firing uncontrollably, at a very fast pace. It's like a storm in a teacup. 

Extrapolating from this, I would guess that activates the SNS in some way.

In cases where panic attacks happen because of the sz, then it is definitely the SNS that is the culprit, because a panic attack is basically a heightened fight-or-flight response, in absence of a ''''''real danger'''''' (not the ''''''______''''''' I put around it because the person feeling it would definitely feel like there's real danger) and the SNS goes into overdrive then.

Hope that helps!

Hi Drowsy...

My best guess would be that during a seizure, and subsequent panic attack that follows, the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) is activated. The SNS is the body's fight-or-flight system and prepares you if you need to flee, fight, run, etc. During the activation of the SNS (for people with no sz), physiological responses such as heart rate increases, there is increase in sweating, trembling, dry mouth etc--think how you would feel if you suddenly had to give a speech in front of 1000 people, or were suddenly told you won the lottery. Pupillary dilation is another sign of SNS activation.

My BEST educated guess is during a sz, the brain goes into overdrive, and the neurons are firing randomly and also over-firing uncontrollably, at a very fast pace. It's like a storm in a teacup. 

Extrapolating from this, I would guess that activates the SNS in some way.

In cases where panic attacks happen because of the sz, then it is definitely the SNS that is the culprit, because a panic attack is basically a heightened fight-or-flight response, in absence of a ''''''real danger'''''' (not the ''''''______''''''' I put around it because the person feeling it would definitely feel like there's real danger) and the SNS goes into overdrive then.

Hope that helps!

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