My son fell a few weeks ago and hit his head hard. He had a concussion (throwing up, couldn't see, falling asleep) and stayed overnight at the hospital. During exams while there, his pupils were sized very different, one big and one small. They still are. We've had several follow up appointments with different doctors to rule out some concerns. His pupils dilate proportionately, they track fine, the responded to the drops but he couldn't read the largest letters during the eye exam out of his eye with the larger pupil. He said it was fuzzy and tried pulling off the eye patch so he could read it with his other eye. The doctors think he had different sized pupils before the fall (10% of the population apparently does), we even found a picture to support that, but it wasn't this obvious, it was a slight difference. I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced anything like this, especially after a fall. I'm wondering if his pupils will normalize and his vision improve in that eye? The doctors don't seem to have any explanation and just say it could take some time so we are going back in another month to have them test his eyes again.
I would get a consultation with a pediatric opthmologist. With his pupil too large, too much light it getting into his eye. That is probably why he can't se well with that eye. I am sure there is a way to fix it. In the meantime, see if sunglasses help. The dilated eye will have some of the light filtered out so he will be able to focus better, and the eye with the smaller pupil will dilate to an appropriate level for him to see.
I second Michelle's idea but also maybe a neurologist! Getting a second opinion can never hurt.
I FELL IN DEC. 2003 IN ICE HIT THE LOWER RIGHT BACK ON MY HEAD. TOOK TO HOSPITAL IN AMBULANCE . TREATED ME FOR BRUSED HIP AND SHOULDER. NO MENTION OF HEMATOMA AT BACK OF MY HEAD , WAS DIZZY WHEN ADMINISTRATOR HELP ME UP. SIX MONTHS LATER JUNE 26TH 2004 , PASSED OUT IN BACK YARD. TOOK TO ER, PUT INTO HOSP. CAT SCAN SHOWED SOMETHING, MRI DONE, PITUITARY ADENOMA. THEY DON`T KNOW HOW IT GOT THERE. I WORKED FOR AN EYE SURGEON. WAS IT THE FALL THAT DID THIS ? ____@____.com
My pupils are different sizes and I honestly am not sure if they were always that way or not. At least they probably have been for a long time. I never thought anything of it, but after I experienced some dizziness (turned out to be from dehydration) the doctor took the pupil size difference as a sign of a potential pituitary tumor. That scared me a bit. But it turned out to be fine, of course. Now I wonder if mine are also from a head injury. No one could tell me much of anything about why they are like that.
My very first boyfriend had/still has different sized pupils...his were caused by a head injury as well, a fight when he was a teen...he is now almost 40 and they are still that way but he can see just fine, they don't effect him in any way!
I hope this will be the case for your son as well...
My SIL took a fall awhile back and gave herself a concussion. She didn't experience the pupil issue, but it did take about 4 months before she was feeling right again. She would go through dizzy spells, frequently and just be off balance on occasion, fairly often, not just dizzy, but just fall over when not dizzy feeling.
So, it can take some time for the head injury to heal. Soft tissue (the brain) often takes longer than bones, to heal. So give it plenty of time and hope all is okay, then.
I have that problem myself. Mine is due to the muscle that keeps the pupil contracted being shattered/damaged from a fall. I know when I was child my eyes were dilated and the eye doctor could see exactly what caused my pupil to enlarge. In my case it has never been fixed and the size of my pupil will never be typical but with age and time has gone down. I also had the issue of vision being fuzzy from the affected eye. It can't hurt to have an optometrist weigh in on things some more.
Where have you been going for help? Go across he border to OHSU and get a pediatric opthamologists opinion. It isn't something that will clear up. Your son did see better before the accident. Eyes aren't like ears which do clear up on their own. Worldwide there is lots of blindness from untreated accidents and infections. Why should your son lose sight in one eye when he had it before.
