Dilation Sensation

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of this experiment was to find out if it is possible to determine how exercised an individual is by measuring how dilated their pupils are. Methods/Materials My experiment involved taking pictures of my participant#s eyes using a digital camera. Each time I took a photo, I measured the light going into the eye using a device called a light meter. I then downloaded the pictures on a computer, zoomed in, and measured the pupil and the iris to make a dilation ratio. First, I took pictures of my participants when they were calm at different light levels. This would be used to compare my exercise data. Next I took photos of my teammates# eyes after each quarter during a basketball game. I also had my participants do running on an elliptical machine for 21 minutes and stopped them to take photos of their eye every 7 minutes. I not only took pictures of human participants, but I also used a dog participant. The way I had my dog exercise was by throwing the ball for her 60 times, pausing every 20 throws throughout the run to take a photo. Results The human and dog calm pupil dilation baselines were very similar which means their pupils have about the same reaction to light. My basketball teammates# pupil average dilated 45.4% above the calm baseline before the game and close to the end it reached 56.7%. The elliptical machine exercise resulted in an increase of 46.6% above the calm baseline after 21 minutes. My dog#s pupils were dilated 19.6% above the baseline even before her exercise started and near the end of her exercise they were 60% above the baseline. Conclusions/Discussion After all my experimenting was done I compared my exercise data to my calm baseline to figure out how much exercise effects the dilation of the pupils. What I found in my data is that the dilation of the pupil increases as exercise increases, but I was not able to prove my hypothesis that it was possible to tell how hard an individual has exercised by measuring the size of their pupils. I conclude that the different levels of excitement and anticipation during and before exercise affect the size of pupils as well. I think this science fair project could go much further than it already has and its method could be used to identify over-exercised or stressed individuals that are at risk of asthma attacks, heart failure, or aggression.

Competition history

• CSEF 2009 Human Biology (Junior Division Only) · Entry J1328

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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