I have not had any experience with this, however the brugmansia is considered a Class 1 toxic plant: even tho you have not ingested it, if your eye is fully dialated and not responsive, I'd start with a call to the poison control center or call the ER.

Major Toxicity: These plants may cause serious illness or death. If ingested, immediately call the Poison Control Center or your doctor.

Dave I am no expert but I am a wait and see person. Apparently it has not affected your vision too much. From a toxicology standpoint there is not much a Dr. could do but charge you a copay and maybe some eye drops.

need more info. It was a common eye dialator way back when. I doubt your dose was more than a microgram or there would be other effect other than a dialated eye.

The names atropine and belladonna both relate to this drug complex's effects. The former is derived from Atropos -- one of the three fates in Greek mythology -- as a result of its being used as a poison during the Middle Ages. The latter refers to its ability to dilate the eyes of "beautiful ladies." Both are used nowadays in medicine as an antispasmodic, especially for parkinsonism, with an average dose of atropine being 0.5 mg. users have survived dosages of more than a gram, but the effects appear toxic in most cases of 10 mg. or more.

I cannot make a call for you but if it was me I would wait until tomorrow. You are liable to catch a good flu bug from the emeregency room at this time of year. That will make you feel much worse than a dialated eye.

It's just kind of weird, dosen't burn or hurt at all. My eye will not focus, and the pupil will not retract even under bright light. I have to move closer or further away from something to bring it into focus. However, I am concerned about any long term effects... I am a photographer and web designer by trade, and obviously could not work if I lose my vision permanently. Although I am not experiencing any blindness... actually, an abnormal sensitivity to light, probably due to the fact that my pupil will not close. Just disconcerting to look at yourself in the mirror and see one eye normal, and one with nearly no color showing at all, just a big black circle in the middle of the white. I did not know about the effects of the toxin on diliation of the eyes. I have flushed my eyes with eye drops a few times, and may take some benadryl on the advice of a nurse friend. Hopefully this will pass, and I'll remember to never touch my eyes or face when handling or cutting brug stems before washing my hands.
I think it has to be somehow connected to the brugs, as this would be the only "foriegn" substance I have come into contact with all afternoon. The other things I had handled were all quite run of the mill...ham sandwich, our parrot, computer discs, roses, the garden hose...
Dave

Let us know what you found out or what the outcome is. I will be handeling my brungs in 100 degree heat this summer. I met a lady who sells flowers at the flea market. She says she must keep her windows rolled partially down in the summer due to the effect of the pollen of an enclosed car. She said this with a big smile. Who knows, we all have different tolerances. Nothing seems to effect me....... YET.

parrothead_fa,

This sounds like a classic reaction to brugmansia sap in the eye. Like you, this past year, I was working with the brugs, and accidently wiped my eye. Soon my eye pupil expanded like yours. I thought I was drunk, and my wife had spiked my coffeed. I did research on the net and found that this is indeed the symptoms.

I went to bed, as I couldn't read anyway, and next morning woke up fine. It took about 15 hours to come back to normal, but all is okay.

I would wager to say that your symptoms will have disappeared by now.

Yeah to what jroot said. I've heard of people having the same reaction to getting brug sap in their eyes. Just wait it out. If it hasn't resolved after a night's sleep than I'd contact an opthamologist. I can imagine that must be an unsettling experience.
Karyn

This is among one of the millions of reasons not to take Brugmansia as a recreational substance. The foolish people who take tropane containing plants (if they survive) suffer from severe eye pain for up to a few weeks after and must wear sunglasses because of the dialation properties. One of my teenaged brother's friend was dumb enough to eat Datura seeds (He incorrectly told the ER he had taken "poppy seeds" ,they never actually made the diagnosis. It took me a while to figure out what he ment myself) and of course ended up in the ER after getting violent with some police officers. The kid survived, which just proves natural selection no longer works...lol. But I remember my brother mentioning how the kid was complaining about his eyes bothering him this summer.As for you Dave, the muscles in your pupal should start responding within a day or so. I can only imagine how scary it would have to be to look in the mirror and think you'd had a stroke because you're pupils are two different sizes. Anywho,
Peace,
Nate

I totally agree with jroot and karyn1. If you are really concerned than a trip to the ER should of been the first more after flushing out the eyes. I wouldn't be mixing any other eye drops with this. Being warned by both my opthamologist who knows what I grow and a recent trip to the Dr. for slicing my hand open with the pruners one must take what they do seriously!! One also would be wise to take a first aid class if one grows these lovely ladies of the night just so you know what you should do in these cases.

Thanks to all who responded. Yes, my eye began slowly working it's way back to normal. After the first day, it had gone down to about half the size it was the night before, and was starting to show some response to light. By the second day, I was able to focus my eye again, and by the third, it seemed normal, if not still slightly sensitive to light. Those first 2 days I had to wear sunglasses even in the house because even the sunlight coming in the windows was painful. Definate lesson learned here, I think when working with these plants from now on, I will wear gardening gloves, as a precaution that I wont absently wipe or scratch my eyes, and be sure to wash thoughoughly upon coming back inside. Very scary indeed when you make a living as a freelance photographer and only have one good eye. (I was born with an abnormality of my left eye, looks perfectly normal but is basically just window dressing, can't do more than distinguish color and light with it)
I couldn't imagine giving up our brugs, our yard is always vibrant with the colors of them, and on nights like last night, with literally thousands of open blooms, you realise why you do all that feeding and watering. We had a candlelight dinner and a movie on our lanai literally floating on clouds of the most wonderful perfume. Earlier in the evening just after dusk we were returning home with the windows open in the car and could literally smell our place before we arrived in front of the house.
Appearantly the weather has just been on the perfect side for them this winter, as the trees are just bending under the weight of as many blossoms as they can possibly hold, with flushes coming one after the other. I haven't slowed my feeding scheduel yet, as it's been pretty much in the lower 80's still all the time, and have had to do quite a bit of pruning, both of side shoots and branches that are getting on the roof and in the gutters. So I should have plenty of cuttings if anybody wants them who didn't get some of the plants I had earlier, they went amazingley fast.
Dave

Hey, Dave! so GLAD your eye is better! The eye is so precious! ...can't imagine not being able to see - perhaps that's why I panic so! but..GOOD NEWS for you! YAY! I'd be there for cuttings if you were closer!! *smile* Have three brugs now ...all are budded or blooming - must be the weather, you're right! This is the best they've done, yet...I'm still in my first year with brugs! What a perfume, for sure!

Dave,
Glad your eyes are OK now.
Jardinera

Glad to hear you are better now. I am very allergic to brug sap so I have to use precautions while trimming. One think I do besides gloves and long sleeves, is to make sure I have safety glasses or sunglasses on, It helps to remind me not to rub my eyes ( which I have also done lol). I guess if you normally wear glasses you might not remember because you are used to them but maybe one could think of another way to try to remind themself. I do the same when I spray plants with insecticides etc because I am really allergic to NEEM.
~SJN

I had a bad reaction to fig sap this summer. I did a lot of pruning and got the white latex on my arms and legs. Looked and felt like a poison ivy reaction! Someone posted a thread on 'plant nightmares' once in another forum. It was really funny, and scary at the same time, to read about all the unusual plant encounters from hell. Everything from poisonous sap to being skewered by cactus spines.

You will be fine it will pass happened to me lots of times..