Effects of Ingested Fresh Palm Wine on Pupil Diameter and Amplitude of Accommodation in Young Adults

Abstract

Palm wine has long been the traditional wine of choice for most people during festive periods and social activities. This research work was done to determine the effect of ingested fresh palm wine on pupil diameter and amplitude of accommodation in young adults. Fifty (50) young adults aged between 18-35 years with a mean age of 23.46(±2.54) and weight ranging from 45-80kg with mean weight of 61.18(±8.00) volunteered for this work. The volunteers had normal body mass index (BMI) of between 18.5 and 25kg/m2. Pupil diameter in millimeters (mm) and Amplitude of Accommodation (AA) in diopters (D) were measured before and after 30 minutes, 60 minutes and 90 minutes intake of 330ml of fresh palm wine containing 5.1% alcohol at the time it was consumed. Physicochemical analysis of the palm wine showed the presence of Solids, Sugar, Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) while microbiological analysis showed the presence of yeasts. Its pH at the time was 6.20. Statistical analysis with SPSS version 21 showed that the mean pupil diameter before intake of fresh palm wine was 3.80(±0.72) and mean value 30 minutes, 60 minutes and 90 minutes after intake of fresh palm wine were 3.30(±0.61), 3.48(±0.75) and 4.20(±0.64) respectively. The mean Amplitude of accommodation before intake of fresh palm wine was 12.16(±3.66) and mean value 30 minutes, 60 minutes and 90 minutes after intake of fresh palm wine were 13.86(±3.31), 10.19(±2.47) and 9.16(±2.12) respectively. The result obtained was statistically significant using one way ANOVA at 95% confidence interval and 0.05 level of significance; P(0.00) ˂0.05. The mean difference was significant at the 0.05 level. This study showed that fresh palm wine interfered with visual functions as increased pupil size and changes in AA were observed. Key words: Fresh palm wine, pupil diameter, amplitude of accommodation.