When you focus on a distant object and then on a near object, what should normally happen to the pupils?

When you focus on a distant object and then on a near object, what should normally happen to the pupils?

• A. Both constrict
• B. Both dilate
• C. Remain the same size
• D. None of the above

Answer: (A)

When you switch from looking at a distant object to a near one, your eyes engage the near response: accommodation for near focus, convergence of the eyes, and pupil constriction. The parasympathetic system stimulates the sphincter pupillae to tighten, so both pupils become smaller. This bilateral constriction helps increase depth of field and sharpness for near vision. If the near focus is achieved, the constriction is the expected result; lack of constriction would point to an issue with the parasympathetic pathway.

When you switch from looking at a distant object to a near one, your eyes engage the near response: accommodation for near focus, convergence of the eyes, and pupil constriction. The parasympathetic system stimulates the sphincter pupillae to tighten, so both pupils become smaller. This bilateral constriction helps increase depth of field and sharpness for near vision. If the near focus is achieved, the constriction is the expected result; lack of constriction would point to an issue with the parasympathetic pathway.