if my pupils dilate in the dark to let in more light in order to see more; why isn’t it really bright when they dilate while drunk?
In: Biology
Much of the seeing-in-the-dark effect is not due to pupil dilation but to an increase in your eye’s sensitivity to light. Your pupils can contract and dilate very quickly, like in a second or less, but the chemical adaptation takes up to twenty minutes to kick in fully, and several seconds to wear off in bright light.
When drunk the pupils are slower to react to changes in light level. When light is flashed in the eyes to see if someone is drunk they are looking for a slow pupil response, not dilation.