Traumatic brain injury can be worrisome for patients, their families, and friends. The symptoms of TBI can vary widely depending on the severity of the injury and where it occurs in the brain.
However, these include confusion or disorientation, loss of consciousness, severe headache, vomiting, drowsiness, lethargy, difficulty with coordination and balance, slurred speech, or difficulty speaking clearly.
And when the patients cannot communicate their symptoms, it can be challenging for doctors to diagnose a TBI. Fortunately, some simple tools can help them do just that. One of the most common is pupillary reflex assessment.
Pupillary reflexes are an essential aspect of a neurological examination. This article will explain how to assess pupillary reflexes and their meaning in a TBI.
What Is Pupillary Reflex Assessment?
Pupillary reflexes assessment involves noting each pupil’s size, shape, and responsiveness when you shine a light on them. Doctors can do this quickly and easily with a penlight or flashlight. It is a quick and straightforward way to assess the level of consciousness and rule out injuries that could be mistaken for TBIs.
Pupillary reflex assessment is a part of a standard neurological exam, but doctors can also use it as a quick tool for assessing brain trauma.
Types of pupillary responses
Let’s look at the different pupillary responses.
Accommodative response
When light enters the eye, it causes the dilator muscles in the iris to contract. These muscles allow more light into the eye and cause a change in pupil size. This is called an accommodative response.
The pupil constricts as soon as you remove the light stimulus (that’s why it’s an accommodative response).
Near response/reflex
The near response, or reflex, is a pupillary response that occurs when the eye focuses on an object at close range. When light enters the eye, this causes the ciliary muscle to contract and move forward (toward the front of the eye). The iris then moves with it and contracts, causing the pupil to get smaller.
A Review of the Pupil’s Involvement in Brain Injury
The brain is one of the essential organs in the body. It controls our thoughts, emotions, and movements. A brain injury can happen when an individual suffers from a concussion or other Pupillary Response in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Sometimes, a person may experience no symptoms; other times, symptoms may appear soon after the incident occurs.
Given the unpredictability of brain injury, it is vital to be aware of the various symptoms and how they can affect someone’s life. One of TBI’s most common symptoms is a pupil size change. This change may be a constriction or dilation of the pupil, depending on what part of the brain has been injured.
Doctors can use this information to determine how severe the injury was and what brain areas might be affected. If someone suffers from a concussion, they may experience headaches or other pains in the head. This can be caused by bruising of blood vessels within the brain or even bleeding that occurs when an injury has occurred.
The best tool for pupillary reflex assessment
There are several ways to assess a person’s pupillary reflex, but the best way is to use a pupilometer. This device uses infrared light to measure pupil size and provides accurate readings within seconds.
Doctors can use the pupilometer by positioning it over the eye and shining infrared light on it. The doctor will then be able to see how quickly the pupil responds and which way it moves.
If a person has a concussion or another type of brain injury, their pupils may not respond as usual during this assessment. This can help doctors determine if someone needs immediate medical attention.
Using the pupilometer for pupil evaluation offers several benefits. First, it allows doctors to quickly and accurately measure a person’s pupils. This is important because the eyes are one of the first to show signs of injury or illness.
The device is also non-invasive and can be used even if someone is unconscious or unable to communicate. The device can also provide information about the size of a person’s pupils and how quickly they react to light. This can help doctors determine if someone has suffered a concussion or other brain injury.
Conclusion:
Pupillary reflexes and pupillary evaluation are critical parts of the examination process. They can help doctors determine if someone has suffered an injury to their brain, and they can be used as an effective diagnostic tool in many other situations.
