Pupillary Light Reflex Detected by Ophthalmic Ultrasonography in Critically Ill Children With Difficult to Assess Pupils

Direct visualization of the eye can be difficult or impossible when there is significant facial burns, trauma, or edema. We present 4 nonresponsive, critically ill children whose pupils could not be directly visualized. Ophthalmic ultrasound revealed pupillary reactivity at presentation and throughout their recovery. Determining pupillary reactivity in these nonresponsive patients impacted their initial triage, resuscitation, and medical management. We propose that ophthalmic point-of-care ultrasonography can assess the pupillary light reflex in critically ill children whose pupils cannot be directly visualized.