Pupil reaction in a legally blind patient

[twodogsexpress]

If someone is legally blind in both eyes, do their pupils react the same as a sighted person? This is important. For some reason I am thinking "no". But not sure and want to be correct.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Post moved to its own thread.

I have several legally blind patients. Each has typical pupil response. Legally blind is usually corrected to 20/200 unless a patient had a neurological injury to the nerves that affected pupillary response it's possible of pupil reaction.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

It depends why they are blind. I worked with a nurse who is legally blind without correction..... her pupils were always very dilated but reacted normally. She works in Cath lab

[malestunurse]

As Esme12 said it depends on why the are blind. Due to an injury I suffered when i was 13 one of my pupils is always slight dilated and reacts slowly to light however, my vision is not effected.

[MendedHeart]

I had a blind patient who was blind from ocular retinal cva/occlusion and pupils were dilated to about 4 or 5 and non reactive

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

It depends whether the nerve that regulates pupillary constriction was affected by the injury or stroke which also blinded the person. You can be blind from an occipital stroke because your brain no longer processes input from your optic nerve, and have no problems with pupils reacting. You can infarct your retina or tear it all up or detach it from your optic nerve and still have intact pupillary reflexes. You can have a mechanical injury to the pupillary muscles and have little or no contractions, but be sighted in that eye.

What was the situation? Or was this an exam question that many people got wrong?

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

It depends on a lot of things. I have known patients who are blind with non-reactive pupils from optic pathway gliomas and have known patients who are blind with completely normal pupillary reaction. I've also known patients with sluggish or non-reactive pupils who were not legally blind.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

OP? Still "really need" that answer? Could you at least, well, say "Thanks for the responses"? :)

[suppaduppaCNA]

Do you kow what Legally Blind means first