Which pupillary abnormality is associated with blunt trauma to the eye?

Anisocoria, which refers to a condition where the pupils are unequal in size, can result from blunt trauma to the eye. This type of trauma can damage various structures involved in the nervous system that control pupil size, leading to the uneven pupil reaction. In cases of blunt trauma, the pupil may react differently to light due to inflammation, injury to the iris, or disruption of the autonomic pathways that innervate the pupil, thus causing anisocoria.

In contrast, other conditions such as a tonic pupil or oculomotor nerve paralysis have distinct mechanisms and typical causes unrelated to direct blunt trauma. A tonic pupil, for instance, is typically due to damage to the ciliary ganglion or postganglionic fibers, leading to a larger pupil that reacts poorly to light but accommodates normally. Oculomotor nerve paralysis can result in significant changes in pupil size and accommodation but is generally associated with compressive lesions, trauma to the brain rather than direct eye injury. Horner syndrome, which results from the disruption of sympathetic nerve pathways to the eye, typically has different underlying causes such as lesions along the sympathetic chain or neck tumors.

Therefore, anisocoria is most closely associated with blunt trauma since it directly involves the physical impacts that