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Very Large Pupils and Lasik Surgery

What do most lasik surgeons consider very large pupils? I've read the pupil dilates naturally at night from 5-8 mm. Can it get bigger than that? Just really curious. Cant find a real clear answer about this. Would like some input. Thanks

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4 Doctor Answers | Asked by firefighter76651 in Italy, Texas

Doctor Answers (4)
Community Comments (2)

LASIK and Pupil Size

The size of the average pupil is approximately 5mm. In dim or low light the pupil will, typically, enlarge by about 2mm, on average. The use of the femtosecond laser to create the corneal flap, as well as a customized laser to perform the laser correction, has greatly diminished the importance of pupil size. The reason for this is that the modern(2010) laser corrections(LASIK or PRK) have a treatment diameter of approximately 9mm and the surface is so smooth that postoperative glare is... more

Anthony J. Kameen, MD

Baltimore Ophthalmologist

www.kameen.com

Pupil Size And LASIK

Most surgeons feel that larger pupils carry the risk of night symptoms after LASIK, but every good study published shows there is no relation clearly i have many patients who have night symptoms that are eliminated by alphagan, which prevents pupil dilation, so this proves that it is related in these people the only logical conclusion is that pupil size is not related to night problems in most people, but is in a minority of people, so on a statistical basis there is no... more

Pupil dilation varies per person

Pupil size can range in every person. A few people can have pupils that dilate bigger than 9 mm, but it is rare.

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Pupil size, night vision and LASIK

Everyone has a different pupil size, and yes of course its larger at night. Basic physics dictates that larger pupils, with our without LASIK, have worse vision than smaller pupils. the question is whether LASIK makes this worse. The short answer is you dont know in advance. Every eye is different; different prescription, different pupil size, different curvature, etc. what we do know is that with current technology, there is no direct relationship between pupil... more

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Comments (2)

spuder450
21 days ago

I just returned from the eye dr. I've always had big pupils. My pupils are 9.5 mm dilated! All other aspects of my eyes are perfect candidates ( 575 µm cornea thickness, -2.5 prescription). My Dr. is discouraging me from getting the procedure because of the risk of night glare.

SPALATINA
7 months ago

A year ago I had cataract surgery in both eyes and was implanted with crystalens. I am glare disabled now. My pupils are 7mm and lenses 5mm. Driving at night is not possible. Doctor prescribed Alphagan P 0.15%. I have not tried it yet. I am planning to use the drops only prior to going out at night.What are the risks involved?.How long I can stay out? Side effects? Anything else that I need to be concerned? Thank you. Thank you.

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