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What is Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil : Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

What is Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil?

Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil, which is also known by the name of Adie’s Syndrome, is a pathological neurological condition which affects the pupil of the left eye as well as the autonomic nervous system of the body. The main characteristic of Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil is that the left pupil is abnormally larger than normal and there is minimal to no constriction in bright light, which is why it gets it name as Tonic Pupil.

The root cause of Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil is not yet known but some studies suggest that this condition may arise as a result of a trauma, a surgical procedure to the left eye, inappropriate blood flow to the left eye, or an infection to the left eye.

Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil is a benign and harmless condition and very rarely some form of treatment is required to treat it. In majority of the cases, reading glasses and eyedrops are the main forms of treatment given for Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil. If the abnormality of the pupil is associated with neurological symptoms like absence of deep tendon reflexes especially in the Achilles tendon then the condition is defined as Adie’s Syndrome.

What is Left Adie's Tonic Pupil?

What Causes Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil?

As stated, the root cause of Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil is not yet known but some form of trauma to the pupil, a surgical procedure to the eye, or an infection is presumed to cause Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil. Some studies suggest that inflammation or damage to the ciliary ganglion or any type of damage to the postganglionic nerves may be a cause for development of Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil.

The ciliary ganglion forms a part of the parasympathetic nervous system which is a part of the autonomic nervous system which controls the pupil’s response to light and other stimuli. Infection is the most likely cause of damage to the ciliary ganglion. Damage to the ciliary region may also result from an autoimmune disorder, a tumor, trauma, and potential complications of a surgical procedure to the eye causing Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil.

What are the Symptoms of Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil?

As stated above, the main characteristic feature of Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil is the left pupil being abnormally larger than normal. The left pupil constricts very slowly when in bright light or other stimuli. It may also cause loss of deep tendon reflexes in the Achilles tendon region.

At first in Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil, only the left pupil is affected but as the disease advances both eyes may get affected. Some of the other symptoms of Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil are excessive sweating. In some cases, cardiovascular abnormalities may also be noted in cases of Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil.

How is Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil Treated?

Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil is a benign condition and usually does not require any treatment. At most, the ophthalmologist may prescribe reading glasses or pilocarpine eyedrops for vision impairment caused due to Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil. The eyedrops tends to constrict the dilated pupil. It also helps with depth perception as well which gets affected due to Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil. These treatments are good enough to restore vision and help the constricted pupil caused by Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil.

Another symptom which occurs with Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil is excessive sweating and this can be treated by performing a surgical procedure called Thoracic sympathectomy in which the involved sympathetic nerve is excised completely to treat the excessive sweating caused by Left Adie’s Tonic Pupil.

References:

  1. American Academy of Ophthalmology. “Adie’s Tonic Pupil.” https://www.aao.org/disease-review/adies-tonic-pupil-review
  2. Neurologic Clinics. “Adie’s tonic pupil and related syndromes.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3922616/

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Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:August 18, 2023

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