Signs of drug intoxication or how to identify a drug addict by the eyes. Masking dilated pupils

The eyes are the mirrors of the soul. What is the soul of a person who takes drugs? When the psyche changes, fall moral values, behavior changes, what can be seen in the eyes? One of the clear signs of drug intoxication is a change in the type of pupils. It can be said that this method- the most effective effective, helping to determine whether a person is taking drugs.

The addict's eyes will betray the owner's condition with an unnatural brilliance, reddening of the whites, swelling of the eyelids, and a constantly sleepy expression. How to learn to recognize by the eyes (their expression, condition) that a person is addicted to drugs and is entirely in their power? Let's figure it out.

The type of eyes, pupils clearly shows whether a person uses drugs or not

The human pupil is a dark hole in the iris. Through it, a light beam enters the eye organ (to the retina). Thanks to its unique ability change its own diameter, the pupil can regulate the flow of light falling on the retina.

In bright, intense light, a person's pupil constricts, providing a more accurate and distinct perception. Pupils dilate in the dark. This function the eye is called pupillary, iridescent or irritant. The principle of this work is similar to the action of the aperture of a camera.

Why do eyes widen and shrink healthy person

This ability of the eye is provided by the pupillary reflex. When the level of illumination of the retina changes, the cones and rods located on it transmit the appropriate information through the nerve centers to the brain regions responsible for the work of the eyes. In a healthy person, the regulation of pupil size occurs unconsciously and depends (in addition to the level of illumination) on the following factors:

Physical activity.
Sudden strong fright.
Loud unexpected sound.
Emotional stress.

These stimuli cause the pupils to dilate. In this manner nervous system trying to get faster and more accurate necessary information about the stimulus and take appropriate responses.

What are the pupils of drug addicts

Drug addiction is terrible in its consequences, it destroys the personality completely, causing irreparable collapse to the physical and mental health. Drug addiction has a huge number of faces, because each drug affects a person individually. This also applies to changes in pupils.

During the entire action of the drug, the eyes of a person are in the same, motionless position. Sometimes they can shift by 1-2 mm.

Pupil constriction

AT this case the pupils of the dependent are distinguished by their small size and do not respond to artificial lighting. When a flashlight is brought close to the eye sockets, the eyes of a drug addict, whose photo can be seen just below, do not change their size and remain in the same severely narrowed state, indicating the use of drugs such as:

heroin;
opiates;
morphine;
poppy-based drugs;
abuse of drugs containing codeine (Nurofen, Codelac, Terpinkod).

Pupils constrict to pinpoint size when using certain drugs

The time of action of these narcotic drugs is within 4-5 hours. Throughout this time period, the pupils of a smoked person (or a stubbed one) will be sharply narrowed. Sometimes to such an extent that only one iris is visible and distinguishable. After this time, the eye reflex will gradually recover and return to normal. Well, the man himself to sober up.

The darker the natural color of the eyes, the more difficult it becomes to diagnose them at the time of drug use.

pupil dilation

The dilated pupils of a drug addict, absolutely unresponsive to changes in light, indicate that the person is under the influence of the following drugs:

cocaine;
ecstasy;
amphetamine;
butyrate (sometimes);
pervintin (or "screw").

Even a small use of these drugs provokes a sharp and prolonged dilation of the pupils. And long, because the time of action of such compounds lasts about 20-24 hours (the exception is cocaine, its effect is about 2 hours).

To understand the pupils of drug addicts who are under the influence of these compounds, take a look at the following photo:

Dilated pupils of an addict

Sometimes the pupils of drug addicts dilate to such an extent that the eyes appear black. If a person sits tightly on a needle or pills, the pupils do not change, and remain dilated. In the process of cleansing the body from the drug, the eyes will gradually (within 1.5-2 days) return to their normal state.

Sharply dilated pupils may also indicate that the addict is currently in withdrawal syndrome (“withdrawal”). A drug hangover occurs when the following symptoms are attached:

chills;
nausea;
dizziness;
sharp jumps in blood pressure;
severe runny nose;
weakness, lethargy;
uncontrollable vomiting;
profuse sweating;
convulsive syndrome;
restless state;
increased salivation;
pain in the peritoneal region:
muscle and joint pain;
confusion, loss of consciousness;
a drop in general well-being;
painful discomfort of the body;
increased levels of anxiety;
disorders of the digestive tract (constipation, diarrhea);
uncontrolled aggressive behavior;
malaise similar to a viral infection;
fever that passes against the background of sharp transitions from chills to fever.

mixed reactions

With the use of some drugs, it is difficult to predict what the size of the pupils will be. The following types of drugs lead to unpredictable reactions:

spice;
hashish;
marijuana;
mixes and various smoking mixtures.

What other signs indicate drug addiction?

Such compounds can cause both persistent constriction of the pupils and their strong expansion.. In this case, "stoned" eyes declare the state of their owner with the following signs:

Reddened / pinkish whites.
Inflamed, clearly visible ocular vessels.
Glass look, that is, it creates the feeling that the look of the drug addict, as it were, “glare”, shines in bright light.

It is worth recalling that some types of drugs (in particular, spice) are not detected standard tests blood, saliva and urine. It is possible to understand that a person is “addicted” to him only with the help of visual testing of the pupil.

Sometimes drug addicts, knowing about such features of their own pupils and trying to hide the traces of the presence of the drug in the body, use drugs. In pharmacies, you can now find a wide variety of eye drops that can both artificially expand the pupils and narrow them.

At the first warning signs of drug use in your loved one, you should immediately start sounding the alarm. Remember that drug addiction is a road leading to psychosis, aggressive unconsciousness and, in very frequent cases, death.

The pupil is the round hole in the center of the iris. In a healthy person, the pupil reacts to light: in bright light it narrows, and in twilight it expands. This is due to the fact that different cells are responsible for daytime and twilight vision. So the rods of daytime vision are located in the center of the retina, and the cones of twilight vision are located on its periphery. The pupil dilates due to the “pupil dilator” muscle, narrows due to the “pupil sphincter”.

The pupil is main part clinical picture drug intoxication. When using opioid drugs, the pupil constricts. This is due to the fact that the opium alkaloids affect the circular smooth muscle tissue, and a spasm of the sphincters of the body occurs. So after taking opium drugs, a person cannot because of a spasm of the sphincter of the bladder, is disgusted with fatty foods due to a spasm of the sphincter of Oddi of the common bile duct. In the same way, a sharp spasm of the sphincter of the pupil occurs - and the pupil becomes "on the point", that is, very narrow. This spasm can last for several hours. Also, the effect of a constricted pupil may be present with an overdose of sedatives.

When using drugs of the cannabinoid group (,), psychostimulants, hallucinogens, on the contrary, the pupil expands. Narcotic substances of this group are mydriatics, that is, pupil dilators. The active substances contained in these drugs block the receptors of the pupil dilator, and it ceases to respond correctly to light, spasms and remains in an expanded state. Due to the abundance of bright light falling on the cones of twilight vision, the brain begins to “get lost” due to a discrepancy between the amount of light and the reaction of the pupil to it. At the same time, against the background of the aggressive effects of drugs on the brain, visual hallucinations may begin.

In addition to the size of the pupil, drug addicts also change the photoreaction - the reaction of the pupil to light. In a healthy person, the pupil reacts to light instantly - it narrows if you shine a dim flashlight into the eyes, expands if you cover your eyes from the light with your palms. Such a photoreaction is called alive. If a person has taken drugs recently, then the reaction to light will be very sluggish. This is especially noticeable when taking opioids - in some cases, it is impossible to notice the attempt of the pupil to expand in the shade with the naked eye. This effect sometimes lasts for several hours. When taking mydriatic drugs, the effect of dilated pupil and sluggish photoreaction passes rather quickly.

However, you can't label a person as a "drug addict" whose pupils seem "wrong-sized" to you. There are diseases in which the pupils can be narrowed, dilated, or even of different sizes and with jagged edges.

Sources:

When using cannabis

Normally, a person's pupils should respond to bright light and its complete absence with certain changes. In the presence of any diseases, there may be certain restrictions on night or day light perception.

Instruction

The pupil is a kind of hole located in the center of the diaphragm of the eye and allows light to pass through itself into the retina of the eye. It visually appears black, due to the fact that many beams of light that enter the pupil are completely absorbed by the tissues located inside the eye. The human pupil has round shape, but in nature there are other types of it, for example, the pupil is shaped like a small gap.

The pupillary response to light is a very important test that characterizes the function of the brain. At the moment bright light is directed to the light-sensitive cells of the retina, special photoreceptors send a certain signal to the nerve (which performs the function of eye movement) to the circular iris of the sphincter muscles. These muscles make contractions, thereby reducing the size of the pupil.

To check the pupillary reflex to light, use an ophthalmoscope mirror or a slit lamp illuminator. If there are suspicions of a one-sided weakness of the reaction of the pupil, with a beam of light directed directly, the friendly reaction of the other is checked. If the severity of the direct and consensual reactions is the same, the reaction of the pupil to light is considered normal.

A condition in which the optic nerves are partially damaged is called chronic dilated pupils, and occurs by reducing the ability of the optic nerves to respond to light. With sufficient lighting, people with this disease have dilated pupils, and in bright light, pain can occur. People who suffer from chronic dilated pupils have vision problems in dark time days and in the absence of lighting. They should be especially careful when moving in the dark due to the inability to see objects in full.

The drug addict masterfully hides his dependence on loved ones. Not knowing the main symptoms of use psychoactive substances, relatives, even living in the same house with an addict, can be in the dark for months. But paying attention to the pupils, you can immediately understand that the person used surfactants. How does this happen?

What is the pupil, and what function does it perform in our body? The human pupil is a round hole in the iris of the eye that can contract or expand, depending on the degree of illumination. Thus, the pupil regulates the flow of light rays directed to the retina, which allows you to get the maximum visual information about the world around.

The autonomic nervous system is responsible for pupil contraction. Pupil dilation is regulated by sympathetic fibers, and constriction by parasympathetic fibers. It is important to note that the change in pupil size depends not only on lighting, but also on factors such as:

emotional arousal;
pain sensations;
stress.

The pupils of a healthy person, unlike the pupils of a drug addict, are constantly in motion, adjusting to environmental conditions.

Also, the expansion or contraction of the pupils is affected by various drugs: sedatives, opiates and stimulants. At the same time, under the influence of these substances, the pupil remains in an expanded or narrowed state, regardless of the lighting - for a while it stops contracting altogether. It is this abnormal state of the pupil that indicates that a person is using drugs. Moreover, depending on whether the pupil is narrowed or dilated, one can understand what kind of drug was taken.

Dilated pupil of an addict

Strongly dilated pupils that do not respond to lighting are a sign of the use of psychostimulants. Drugs that cause this effect include:

ecstasy;
pervintin (screw);
amphetamine;
cocaine.

Even a small dose of the above drugs causes a sharp dilation of the pupils. In this state, the eyes of a drug addict even from a distance seem completely black. It is quite easy to notice such a change, in addition, the effect of the drug lasts about one to two days, during which the pupils of the addict can only contract slightly, and then expand again until the substance is completely removed from the body. In the case of regular use of stimulants, the pupils of the dependent are almost constantly in a similar abnormal state.

constricted pupils of a drug addict

To a sharp narrowing of the pupils, in which only the iris is visible, lead to drugs such as:

morphine;
heroin;
codeine and codeine-containing drugs.

All of the above substances inhibit the work of the central nervous system and ANS, slowing down all processes in the body. Reflexes are also muffled, including a change in the size of the pupils under different lighting conditions. It only takes a few seconds to shine a flashlight into the eyes of an opiate addict to understand that his pupils do not react in any way to bright light and do not dilate in normal light.

The effects of morphine, heroin, or codeine-containing drugs last about 5 hours. Gradually, with the removal of the drug from the body, the pupil returns to normal state starting to respond to stimuli.

Other drug reactions

Some psychoactive substances do not cause a specific reaction of the pupils. Thus, marijuana and smoking mixtures can lead to both dilation and constriction of the pupils of the addict, which makes it impossible to determine the type of drug used. However, when using the so-called herbs and spices, a strong reddening of the whites of the eyes appears. To hide this, addicts often use various vasoconstrictor drops. However, the addict's eyes still take on a painful, "tearful" look.

Knowing the main symptoms of drug intoxication and the effects of the most common drugs, you can identify your loved one's addiction to early stages problem development. most importantly, remember that constriction or dilation of the pupils can be caused not only by the use of psychoactive substances, but also by other external and internal stimuli. Before drawing final conclusions, make sure that the pupils of a person do not contract - do not react to changes in lighting. But what to do if your fears are confirmed and your loved one is in a state of drug intoxication?

Postpone serious conversation the next day, when the person sobers up and can adequately respond to your words. Avoid accusations, reproaches and increased tone - find out how often a loved one uses drugs, and then seek help from a psychologist as soon as possible. Experienced specialist rehabilitation center will help you understand the problem and begin to solve it before the disease reaches its peak.

Exist a large number of signs of how to identify a drug addict and find out about the presence of psychoactive substances in the human body: behavior, physiology, mood, and so on. However, not all of them are suitable at times (for example, some types of spice-type drugs are not detected by standard blood or urine tests).

The most common and easy to understand symptom is the eyes: drug addicts change pupils from taking drugs. Drug addicts, not wanting to bother relatives and friends, often hide the consequences of taking narcotic substances: do not ask for money for drugs, do not bring friends home, do not show injection sites. However, they will not be able to hide the condition of the eyes. This is the reason why pupils are the best indicator.

Here are the highlights:

during the action of the drug, the eyes of a person are motionless and are in an almost unchanged position (except that they twitch a couple of millimeters back and forth);
the pupils of the addict constrict and remain in this state, resembling a pinhead in size. They do not respond to changes in lighting. Such narrow pupils are typical for those taking heroin, opiates, morphine, drugs containing codeine;
excessively dilated pupils after amphetamines, sometimes to such an extent that the eyes become completely black. This reaction is also typical for drug addicts under LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, pervitin. The pupils dilate and are maintained in this state for 12-24 hours.

The reason for the narrowing and widening of the eyes in a healthy person is to adjust the light flux by the muscles of the pupil. If the light flux is strong, it does not take much for the sensitive tissue at the bottom of the eyeball to distinguish the rays, and the pupillary opening decreases. If there is darkness around, the pupil opens to get as much light as possible.

Not so with a drug addict. The drug, entering the body, affects the control centers of the body, due to which the automatic function of the pupil is paralyzed: the addict no longer looks at the world around him.

Interestingly, some of the current street mixes look so unpredictable in their composition that the name will not tell you much about the reaction of the eyes. These are things like spices, smoking blends, marijuana or other weed.

Don't be too harsh, however: there are other reasons for pupils to be constricted or dilated: it could simply be inappropriate lighting or drugstore eye drops.

Here are some more signs of “smoky” eyes from grass or other drugs:

red pupils of the eyes of a teenager, reddened or pinkish whites;
a person has glass eyes - so much so that the look of the drug addict seems to “glare”, shines in bright light;
bruises and circles under the eyes;
on proteins, inflamed, clearly visible eye vessels are visible.

The sooner you notice these signs, the easier it will be to help a person return to the world to their loved ones and a healthy existence.

However, do not react to a single sign as if the person has just confessed to you all his actions. Be on the lookout and investigate the situation further: is there a change in behavior? Did he have any illnesses? How does he spend his time? Believe me, if a person has really started taking drugs, you will find other oddities in huge number. Call the person to talk, but do not scold, but try to achieve mutual understanding and cooperation in solving the problem.

The condition of the eyes of an addict using drugs will change to normal to the extent that a person gets rid of drugs in his body. On our program (contrary to rumors that drug addiction cannot be cured), we achieve complete rehabilitation of 85% of drug addicts. This path is not wide and easy, but it leads to the right place, and it can be walked.

Quite often, the first signs of drug use appear during appearance and behavior loved one immediately after the first dose. Perhaps the most effective method visual definition whether a person takes drugs is the state of his pupils. The pupil is the dark opening in the iris of the eye. It limits the amount of light reaching the retina.

Reference material about pupils: Changes in pupil size occur due to light stimulation of the retina, eye strain to distinguish objects at different distances from each other, and also in response to stimuli different nature. The size of the pupil changes due to two muscles of the iris: the circular one, which provides constriction of the pupil, and the radial one, which provides expansion. In a sober person, the pupil is never absolutely calm. Constant movements pupils depend on numerous stimuli: increased human activity, pain, emotional stress, strong fear, a sudden sharp stimulus (push, loud sound) lead to pupil dilation. So the human body tries to quickly get visual information about the stimulus. The addict's pupil is in one position (during the action of the drug), sometimes changing slightly literally by 1 mm.

How to know by the eyes that a person is a drug addict?

The pupil can indicate the type of drug taken. How it looks can be seen in the photo 1,2,3

Photo 1 The pupil is normal (the person is presumably sober)

In moderate lighting it is in the average size, changing depending on the brightness of the light, the pupil is constantly in motion from constricted to dilated. The sharpness of the change in lighting also affects, so if you shine a flashlight into the eyes, then the pupil of a sober person will immediately work to narrow, turning off the bright light, the pupil will expand - this is a sign of the normal functioning of the pupil, after such manipulations, the pupil of the drug addict will be in one position, in which ? narrowed or widened, see figures 2 and 3.

Photo 2: The pupil of the addict - Heroin, morphine, poppy drugs, codeine-containing medications (terpincod, codelac, nurofen, etc.) - cause constriction.

The pupil of the eye is narrowed (small), does not respond to changes in lighting, if you shine a flashlight for a few seconds and turn it off, then the pupils will remain in one, narrowed position, for people who understand such situations, the eyes of a drug addict with a narrowed pupil are suspicious already from a distance of 1-2 meters. For your information, the duration of action of drugs such as opiates (opioids), heroin, morphine, codeine, etc. is about 5 hours, by this time the pupils of the eye begin to gradually function, the reaction of the pupil to light is slow, almost imperceptible, but still it is present. As you exit active substance(drug) from the body, this happens after 5 hours after use, the addict sobers up and the functionality of the pupil is gradually restored.

Photo 3: The pupil of an addict - Cocaine, amphetamine, ecstasy, LSD, pervitin (screw in slang), sometimes butyrate causes a noticeable dilation of the pupils.

The pupil in this position is immediately noticeable, usually the effect of such drugs lasts about 24 hours (except for cocaine, which has an effect of 1-1.5 hours), and the pupil can be dilated after a day or more, sometimes coming to the middle position, then expanding again, this happens as the person sobers up. In some cases, after taking Pervitin ("screw" in slang), the pupil remains dilated for two days. On checking with a flashlight, the pupil remains dilated, great condition, slightly changing literally by 1 mm., depending on the time of taking the drug.

Marijuana, hashish, "Spice" (smoking mixtures, mixes), etc. can cause both constriction and dilation of the pupil. After taking this drug, the white of the drug addict's eye becomes pinkish or reddened, inflamed (swollen) vessels are visible, and most importantly, the drug addict's eyes become "glassy" (glare in the light), to hide this, drug addicts use eye drops such as "Vizin", etc.
The color of the iris (eye color: blue, gray, brown, etc.) does not play a role, but the darker it is, the more difficult the diagnosis.

If you see a person very often with non-standard pupils, then this is the first sign of drug use.

Usually a person uses one drug. When a child or relative returns home, look into the eyes if the pupil is consistently irregular and the same size, either large or small - this is a sign of drug use.

Do not forget, a small or large pupil is a reaction to light, darkness or the sun, but a constantly small or large pupil is a sign of use. Change the lighting or turn the flashlight on and off by shining it in their eyes. In a presumably sober person, the pupil will constantly change, narrow in bright light, expand in darkness, the eye is clear to the light, transparent does not shine and is not inflamed, the pupil of the drug addict will be in one position, inflamed protein, eyes that look glassy, shine, or cloudy, seeing your loved one every day, you can easily notice changes in his eyes and behavior, do not be afraid to use rapid urine drug tests for 5 or more types (sold in a pharmacy). The newfangled and very common drug "Spice" is not detected in tests and analyzes, at least at the moment. You can only discover external factors, eyes and behavior.

If a person has been seen using opiates (heroin, codeine, poppy, tramal, zaldiar, etc.), such drug addicts use some tricks to mask the pupil. The trick is that pharmacies sell a lot of drugs that dilate pupils purposefully and not.

The dilated pupil also indicates withdrawal syndrome(refusal to use, withdrawal, drug hangover).