Tag: Miotic drugs

Miotics, or cholinergic agonists, have been used in eye care for over a century, with pilocarpine being the most widely recognized topical example. In modern ophthalmology, two primary miotic drugs, pilocarpine and carbachol, are used to constrict pupils and increase fluid drainage to lower intraocular pressure, notably in the treatment of certain types of glaucoma.

Miosis, or pupillary constriction, is a key diagnostic sign often associated with certain substances; notably, it's a classic indicator of opioid use, with "pinpoint pupils" being a hallmark of overdose [1.7.3]. Understanding **which drugs cause miosis** is crucial for both clinical assessment and patient safety.

Pupils naturally constrict and dilate thousands of times a day in response to light, but in a miotic eye, the pupil remains persistently small. A miotic eye is a medical term for a condition of abnormal and sustained pupil constriction that can affect one or both eyes, often signaling an underlying health issue.

First used in eye care for over a century, miotic drugs cause the pupil to constrict, a process known as miosis, by affecting the eye's muscles. This pharmacological action, which can either stimulate the parasympathetic pathway or inhibit the sympathetic pathway, is leveraged to treat various eye conditions. A diverse range of miotic drug examples exists, each with a unique mechanism and application.