Editing Coma (section)

=== Pupil size ===
Pupil assessment is often a critical portion of a comatose examination, as it can give information as to the cause of the coma; the following table is a technical, medical guideline for common pupil findings and their possible interpretations:<ref name=med />

{| class="wikitable"
! Pupil sizes (left eye vs. right eye) !! Possible interpretation
|-
| [[File:Darkblue.jpg|alt=Eyes open and pupils equal-dilation, normal size|250px]] || Normal eye with two pupils equal in size and reactive to light. This means that the patient is probably not in a coma and is probably lethargic, under influence of a drug, or sleeping.
|-
| [[File:Myosis due to opiate use.jpg|alt=Eyes open, pupils smaller than expected and equal|250px]] || "Pinpoint" pupils indicate [[heroin]] or opiate overdose, which can be responsible for a patient's coma. The pinpoint pupils are still reactive to light [[wikt:bilateral|bilaterally]] (in both eyes, not just one). Another possibility is damage to the [[pons]].<ref name=med />
|-
| [[File:Anizokoria.JPG|alt=Eyes open, right pupil much larger than left|250px]] || One pupil is dilated and unreactive, while the other is normal (in this case, the right eye is dilated, while the left eye is normal in size). This could mean damage to the [[oculomotor nerve]] (cranial nerve number 3, CN III) on the right side, or indicate the possibility of vascular involvement.
|-
| [[File:Cyclopentolate 1 percent Pupils.jpg|alt=Eyes open, both pupils widely dilated|250px]] || Both pupils are dilated and unreactive to light. This could be due to overdose of certain medications, [[hypothermia]] or severe [[Hypoxia (medical)|anoxia]] (lack of oxygen).
|}