A relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD), also known as a Marcus Gunn pupil (after Robert Marcus Gunn), is a medical sign observed during the swinging-flashlight test whereupon the patient's pupils excessively dilate when a bright light is swung from the unaffected eye to the affected eye. The affected eye still senses the light and produces pupillary sphincter constriction to some degree, albeit reduced. Depending on severity, different symptoms may appear during the swinging flash light test: Mild RAPD initially presents as a weak pupil constriction, after which dilation occurs. When RAPD is moderate, pupil size initially remains same, after which it dilates. When RAPD is severe, the pupil dilates quickly.

Cause

The most common cause of Marcus Gunn pupil is a

lesion A lesion is any damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by injury or diseases. The term ''Lesion'' is derived from the Latin meaning "injury". Lesions may occur in both plants and animals. Types There is no de ...

of the

optic nerve In neuroanatomy, the optic nerve, also known as the second cranial nerve, cranial nerve II, or simply CN II, is a paired cranial nerve that transmits visual system, visual information from the retina to the brain. In humans, the optic nerve i ...

(between the retina and the optic chiasm) due to

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can lead to damage of the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma may cause vision loss if left untreated. It has been called the "silent thief of ...

, a severe

retina The retina (; or retinas) is the innermost, photosensitivity, light-sensitive layer of tissue (biology), tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some Mollusca, molluscs. The optics of the eye create a focus (optics), focused two-dimensional ...

l disease, or due to

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

. It is named after Scottish

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...

Robert Marcus Gunn. A second common cause of Marcus Gunn pupil is a contralateral optic tract lesion, due to the different contributions of the intact nasal and temporal hemifields.

Diagnosis

The Marcus Gunn pupil is a relative afferent pupillary defect indicating a decreased pupillary response to light in the affected eye. In the swinging flashlight test, a light is alternately shone into the left and right eyes. A normal response would be equal constriction of both pupils, regardless of which eye the light is directed at. This indicates an intact direct and consensual

pupillary light reflex The pupillary light reflex (PLR) or photopupillary reflex is a reflex that controls the diameter of the pupil, in response to the intensity ( luminance) of light that falls on the retinal ganglion cells of the retina in the back of the eye, t ...

. When the test is performed in an eye with an afferent pupillary defect, light directed in the affected eye will cause only mild constriction of both pupils (due to decreased response to light from the afferent defect), while light in the unaffected eye will cause a normal constriction of both pupils (due to an intact efferent path, and an intact consensual pupillary reflex). Thus, light shone in the affected eye will produce less pupillary constriction than light shone in the unaffected eye.

Anisocoria Anisocoria is a condition characterized by an unequal size of the eyes' pupils. Affecting up to 20% of the population, anisocoria is often entirely harmless, but can be a sign of more serious medical problems. Causes Anisocoria is a common cond ...

is absent. A Marcus Gunn pupil is seen, among other conditions, in unilateral

optic neuritis Optic neuritis (ON) is a debilitating condition that is defined as inflammation of cranial nerve II which results in disruption of the neurologic pathways that allow visual sensory information received by the retina to be able to be transmitted to ...

. It is also common in retrobulbar optic neuritis due to

but unreliable in bilateral optic neuritis.Mumenthaler Neurology 4ed, Thieme 2004, page 486 Demyelinating diseases A total CN II lesion, in which the affected eye perceives ''no'' light, is very similar to a Marcus Gunn pupil; to distinguish them, in a CNII total lesion shining the light in the affected eye produces zero dilation nor constriction.

References

External links

{{Eye pathology Eye diseases Human pupil

Cause

Diagnosis

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References

External links