Pupillary reflex
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In medicine, the pupillary reflex or pupillary light reflex, is the reduction of pupil size in response to light. It is a normal response and dependent on the function of the optic nerves and oculomotor nerves.
Pupillary constriction is sometimes used as a synonym for pupillary reflex but something more general. Pupillary constriction may be induced pharmacologically by parasympathomimetics and is also seen in accommodation (when the eyes focus on something close).
Emergency room physicians often assess the pupillary reflex because it is useful for gauging brain stem function. Normally, pupils react (constrict) equally. Lack of the pupillary reflex or an abnormal pupillary reflex can be caused by optic nerve damage, oculomotor nerve damage, brain death and depressant drugs, such as barbiturates. The optic nerve is responsible for the afferent limb of the pupillary reflex, or in other words, senses the incoming light. The oculomotor nerve is responsible for the efferent limb of the pupillary reflex; in other words, it drives the muscles that constrict the pupil.
The pattern of pupillary response to light can help determine which of the cranial nerves is damaged. There are two types of response assessed for each eye:
- Direct pupillary reflex: whether each pupil constricts with light shone into the that eye
- Consensual pupillary reflex: whether each pupil constricts with light shone into the other eye
Normally, each pupil should constrict with light shone into either eye. On testing each reflex for each eye, several patterns are possible.
- Optic nerve damage on one side
- The ipsilateral (on the side with the damage) direct reflex is lost
- The contralateral (on the other side) direct reflex is intact
- The ipsilateral consensual reflex is intact (because light shone into the opposite eye can signal to the brain, causing constriction of both pupils via the normal oculomotor nerves
- The contralateral reflex is lost (because light shone into the eye on the damaged side cannot signal to the brain)
- Oculomotor nerve damage on one side
- The ipsilateral direct reflex is lost
- The contralateral direct reflex is intact
- The ipsilateral consensual reflex is lost (because light shone into the opposite eye can signal the brain, causing attempted constriction of both pupils, but constriction fails on the damaged side)
- The contralateral consensual reflex is intact (because light shone into the damaged eye can still signal to the brain via the normal optic nerve, causing attempted constriction of both pupils, which works on the other side via the normal oculomotor nerve on that side)
The reflex pathway consists of retinal ganglion cells, which convey information from the photoreceptors to the optic nerve which connects to the pretectal nucleus of the high midbrain. It bypasses the lateral geniculate nucleus and the primary visual cortex. From the pretectal nucleus neurons send axons to neurons of the Edinger-Westphal nucleus whose axons run along both the left and right oculomotor nerves. Oculomotor nerve axons synapse on ciliary ganglion neurons whose axons innervate the constrictor muscle of the iris.