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When the pupil of one eye, but not the other, dilates abnormally or does not respond to light, doctors might suspect a nerve problem, or an aneurysm.
But in the case of one 35-year-old woman with an
abnormally dilated pupil, the culprit turned out to be an over-the-counter medication she was using to treat her facial perspiration, according to a report on her case.
The woman's spouse was a paramedic, and had noticed that one of her pupils was dilated when she woke up that morning. Doctors in the emergency room found that her left pupil measured 4 millimeters across, and responded to light. But her right pupil was twice that size, and didn't respond to light.
She also had a mild headache, but no eye pain, trauma to her eye or change in vision. She initially reported that she was not taking any medications. About a year earlier, she'd suffered
chronic headaches and had been diagnosed with a benign cyst on her brain, but a new MRI showed the cyst hadn't grown, and so could not explain her pupil problem.
After further questioning, the patient said she regularly used medicated wipes to control
hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, on her scalp and forehead. The wipes contained a drug called glycopyrrolate, and were purchased from a Canadian pharmacy.
Comment: This is encouraging but will not stop Big Pharma's greed:
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