Effects of alcohol on the mesopic pupil reflex produced in response to colored flash stimuli.

Abstract

PURPOSE: To examine the use of dynamic pupillometry as a method of detecting alcohol levels, we assessed the different stages of the pupil reflex produced in response to coloured stimuli before and after alcohol intake. METHODS: Using the Power Refractor II Pupillometer (Plusoptix, Germany) two subjects were examined before and after alcohol intake in mesopic conditions and a meter away. After a 15-minute adaptation period to the dark, white and blue flases were delivered through a neutral density filter (12 luz) and 450 nm interference filter (2-5 luz) respectively, separated by 2 minutes in random order. The stimulation time was 1/3500s per flash, and the light source was located 2 meters away from the examinees. Six binocular measurements were obteined in each subject per filter, to gie 24 measurements per subject in the two sessions. For each measurement, the variables prestimulus mydriasis, latency, amplitude, speed and acceleration, were computed through a parser.