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asmonet's avatar

If my pupils are off center, is there a term for it?

Asked by asmonet (21445points) July 25th, 2009
21 responses
“Great Question” (1points)

I have recently become convinced my pupils are off center in each eye, both in the exact same way. I could swear both of them are ever so slightly closer to the top inner corner of each eye. I have just about perfect sight with slight astigmatism, which I can only assume is unrelated as that has to do with the shape of the eye and it only developed after I burnt my corneas in my teens.

I don’t expect the human body to be symmetrical and perfectly balanced in every way, but it got me wondering. Is there a medical term for off center pupils? Am I being weird and crazy?

Here is a picture for reference.

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Answers

fireinthepriory's avatar

I seriously doubt it’s a problem. Your pupils are basically just holes in your eye, covered by the lens. The iris is the bit that can expand and contract to change how much light is getting in via your pupil. I don’t think your iris needs to be symmetrical to work properly, so I doubt there’s a medical term for it (although I could be wrong!). :)

…Is that your eye? What frigging gorgeous color you have!

asmonet's avatar

Oh, I didn’t think it was a problem, just one of those silly little things that have a name. Like Morton’s Toe. Curiosity is kind of my thing, I like knowing names for things. ;)
Also, yes, my eye. And thanks. :D

augustlan's avatar

I totally have Morton’s Toe. I’m ok with that.

fireinthepriory's avatar

I’ve never heard of Morton’s toe! I didn’t think things that weren’t problematic would have a medical name, but I guess it’s possible then. I’ve never heard anyone say anything about iris symmetry in general, I don’t think. There are probably lots of eye color colloquialisms though.

DarkScribe's avatar

My pupils go off centre on occasion – usually when a really attractive female walks by.

asmonet's avatar

Bet y’all never knew what a popliteal fossa was – the back of it.
Everyone says my eyes are green until they get all up in my face to prove me wrong. I wish there was an easier way to say “My eyes are dark blue, then light blue then yellow in the center.”

Auggie, you’re a genius. Not sure if that’s it, unless that’s just a severe version of it, as I checked kid pictures and my eyes seem to always have been like this. Unlike that which seems to have a later onset and have attached issues. That is some crazy stuff though. I didn’t come across that at all in my googling. :)

augustlan's avatar

I have never seen anything like those pictures. I am glad.

asmonet's avatar

Too late.
Neiner neiner neiner!

Darwin's avatar

Trust me, Morton’s Toe is not silly. When things work right it means you can pick stuff up with your feet, but it also leads to hammertoes, which are a reflection of the imbalance in foot architecture represented by having to walk on the wrong part of the foot. And hammertoes can lead to painful walking, problems in finding shoes, and eventually surgery.

Morton’s Toe is not always harmless. It can indeed be problematic.

With that said, how does corectopia affect vision? It makes me think of goats.

augustlan's avatar

@Darwin Now that you mention it, I do have very nimble toes, and I used to have hammertoes, too. Buying bigger shoes with wider toe boxes helped a bunch.

Darwin's avatar

@augustlan – You are lucky. Morton’s Toe changes the way in which your foot works, putting too much pressure on parts of the metatarsals where you shouldn’t be putting pressure. The structure of the foot often responds by tendons pulling differently than they should, hence creating hammertoes. The width of the toe box doesn’t always make a big difference as long as it is adequate, but the metatarsal arch support can make a huge difference.

The fact that getting a wider toe box helped you is a good sign, but you should still be wary of changes in your toes and the ball of your foot over time as muscles and joints become less forgiving. I got by for many years by wearing a 5E shoe width and whenever possible wearing a deeper shoe, but eventually even that did not help me. Surgery and orthotics have been a partial answer.

augustlan's avatar

@Darwin At 41, my feet hurt most of the time these days. I guess I just assumed it was age/Fibromyalgia related, but maybe not. :(

I have a very high arch, too, and no inserts have been helpful. I think custom orthotics might help, but who can afford them? I’m sorry you’ve had such troubles with your Morton’s Toe, and glad you’ve found at least some relief.

Darwin's avatar

@augustlan – Compared to the inability to walk, $600 for custom orthotics is well worth it. Though why health insurance refuses to cover orthotics but will cover expensive surgery to fix problems caused by not having orthotics is beyond me.

asmonet's avatar

@Darwin: I wouldn’t know personally, but if memory serves the links above cover it.

asmonet's avatar

@augustlan: It will be the best money you’ve ever spent, the first week sucks, then you adjust and you’re in heaven.

augustlan's avatar

When I have more than negative $79 in my bank account, I’m on it!

asmonet's avatar

@augustlan: You and me both, sweetheart.

deathmango's avatar

Do a search for “corectopia”. I’ve also seen it called “eccentric pupil”.

asmonet's avatar

Well, looks like I have none of these things. They’re symmetrical, just the tiniest bit off. I have perfect vision, but I did have my eyes burnt eight years ago. It gave me slight astigmatism. I’m chalking it up to a quirk and leaving it at that, they’ve been like this my whole life and haven’t changed, so I very much doubt I have anything that’s been mentioned here. I was just curious, thanks guys!

augustlan's avatar

@asmonet Quirky is good. :D

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