Argyll Robertson pupils (“AR pupils”) are bilateral small pupils that constrict when the patient focuses on a near object (they “accommodate”), but do not constrict when exposed to bright light (they do not “react” to light). They were formerly known as "Prostitute's Pupils" because of their association with tertiary syphilis and because of the convenient mnemonic that, like a prostitute, they “accommodate but do not react.” They are a highly spe...
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Argyll Robertson pupils (“AR pupils”) are bilateral small pupils that constrict when the patient focuses on a near object (they “accommodate”), but do not constrict when exposed to bright light (they do not “react” to light). They were formerly known as "Prostitute's Pupils" because of their association with tertiary syphilis and because of the convenient mnemonic that, like a prostitute, they “accommodate but do not react.” They are a highly specific sign of neurosyphilis. In general, pupils that “accommodate but do not react” are said to show light-near dissociation. A video of AR pupils and light-near dissociation is available here
AR pupils are extremely uncommon in the developed world. There is continued interest in the underlying pathophysiology, but the scarcity of cases makes ongoing research difficult.
The AR pupil was named after Douglas Moray Cooper Lamb Argyll Robertson, a Scottish ophthalmologist who noted the association with syphilis in 1869. When serological tests for...
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