I posted this photo of my eye on Reddit and strangers demanded I see a doctor urgently - they saved my life
The young woman uploaded a picture to the 'Eyes' subreddit under the heading 'Why are my eyes so dilated?'.
'Woke up today and I honestly can't tell you whether they were as dilated as this or not in the morning as I wasn't really paying attention, but by the evening, as I was in the bathroom I noticed how freaking dark my eyes were and how huge my pupils are,' she wrote.
'The only thing I've been feeling have just been headaches, what do I do? I also attached a pic of my eyes "normal", a picture taken not too long ago.'
Within hours of sharing the post, worried commenters urgently recommended the woman, who is from the UK, get to hospital.
'You need to see a doctor. Go. Go. Go!' read the top response.
'The combination of headaches and dilated pupils is very concerning. Please see a doctor ASAP.'
'I think that can be a sign of something neurological happening. Especially with the headaches happening too,' another added.
Another said: 'Please go to the ER and show them these pictures. This is a sign of something going on in your brain. This type of dilation that is not related to light is not good, especially if both eyes are dilating at different rates.'
Initially, the woman replied saying she was stunned at the suggestions calling for her to seek urgent medical care, explaining that she'd planned to 'wait it out' because her 'local GP is closed' and she couldn't afford emergency medical treatment in a hospital, even though her eyesight was getting worse.
But in response, many of the concerned strangers doubled down and urged the woman to ignore the costs and seek emergency care immediately.
'Please go to the ER… this isn't worth losing your vision, or having something worse happen,' one explained.
'The pupils, headache, and worsening vision is something that will be taken very seriously at the hospital. I know you said you can't afford anything right now, but can you afford permanent neurological damage? Please don't "wait it out".'
'Neurological events are nothing to take lightly, they become fatal very quickly,' another added.
Many who worked in the medical community also agreed that there was no time to waste.
An ICU nurse wrote: 'Go to the ER right absolutely now. This could be nothing. But combined with the headaches it could be an absolute medical emergency. Your life could be in serious danger.'
Why should you see a doctor if your pupil is dilated?
Most of the time, dilated pupils will go back to normal size on their own. If pupils dilate suddenly, occur after a traumatic injury or cause headaches and confusion, seek medical attention immediately.
The most common causes of dilated pupils are:
- An eye exam (eye drops used to examine nerves and retina)
- A reaction to medication
- A brain injury
- The use of recreational drugs
- Sexual arousal (increased production of oxytocin hormone)
- Adrenaline
Some medical conditions or injuries also dilate pupils, including anisocoria, eye injury, head trauma, microvascular cranial nerve palsy and migraine.
Although it is normal for dilation to occur based on changes in light, mydriasis (when the pupil doesn't respond to light) could be a sign of an eye injury or problem within the brain, like a head injury, tumor or stroke.
Source: Cleveland Clinic
The Reddit poster initially planned to 'wait it out' and see if her eye resolved by itself, but later decided to seek medical attention on the urging of the comments from the Reddit community
And it turns out, the Reddit community were spot on.
Across two follow-up posts, the woman revealed that she'd eventually decided to go to hospital on the back of the urging of the community - and it proved to be a lifesaving move.
After initially contacting NHS 111, which is the UK's non-emergency medical helpline, an ambulance was arranged to take her to hospital for a brain scan.
'Suddenly a load of people were rushing in - turned out I had a blood clot in my brain that was pushing onto a nerve which made my eyes like that,' the woman recounted.
'They quickly put me on blood thinners and I'm currently still in the hospital and will be for a few days.
'The doctor said if I had called 111 any later, I probably would have had a stroke and since I was alone there was a very real chance I would have possibly died.'
The grateful woman proceeded to thank everyone on the forum who had urged her not to ignore her symptoms and take action.
'I just wanted to thank y'all as I genuinely was planning to sleep this off, I don't know whether I still would be here if it weren't for you all screaming at me to go to the ER,' she said.
In subsequent days, the woman shared a further 'update' about her condition.
'I had high levels of homocysteine, around 24… and deficiencies with a few vitamins, mainly one called folic acid and B6,' she wrote.
'I also had high levels of estrogen even though I don't take any contraceptives or anything but we are pretty sure it was caused by [a type of tea], which I drank often.'
'This combination is what likely caused the blood clot to form [in my brain].'
She also explained that she subsequently may 'have some damage to the nerve, meaning my eyes will just react slower to light changes or my eye might be a little more droopier'.
'But overall I'm so grateful to be walking away with super minor things. I could have easily got permanent brain damage,' she said.
The woman also chastised herself for being unaware that emergency care in the UK was 'free' - adding that she should never have hesitated to seek help.
The entire thread - along with the subsequent updates on the woman's health - left Reddit readers stunned.
'HOLY S*** REDDIT SAVED A LIFE TODAY,' read one reply.
'I know that we don't allow medical advice [on Reddit], but y'all saved a person's life. Please, if there's someone with concerning medical issue, see a doctor,' seconded another.
'The complete f****** relief I felt when reading your update was immense. I'm so glad you're okay,' another wrote.
'I saw your update comment - I audibly gasped. To anyone who reads this - if an eye is inexplicably dilated, GO TO THE ER.'
'Honestly, just having someone to go "that's not normal, GO TO THE DOCTOR" is the push that many need in order to actually get medical help,' one concluded.'
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