The Use of Automated Pupillometry in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction

The goal of opioid agonist therapy in addiction treatment is to control a patient's withdrawal symptoms without causing excess sedation. Tolerance to opioid medication is variable and dosage decisions are based on a combination of a patient's reported symptoms and clinically observed signs of withdrawal, including a rough estimate of pupil size that is prone to interobserver variability. The goal of this study was to determine whether more precise measurements of pupil size and reactivity, obtained using automated infrared pupillometry, might aid in the dosing of opioid agonist therapy.