Mydriasis disorders e.g. epilepsy, stroke, and impending brain herniation are known to lead to temporal mydriasis as well. A brain catastrophe, or a rapidly increasing brain mass, can cause compression of the oculomotor nerve. In cases of head injury or orbit trauma (eye injury), the iris sphincter (the muscle responsible for closing the pupil) or the nerves controlling it can be damaged, reducing or eliminating the normal pupillary light reflex. A mydriatic is an agent that induces dilation of the pupil. Drugs such as tropicamide are used in medicine to permit examination of the retina and other deep structures of the
The Widening Gyre (album) critic Lee Zimmerman, stating: ""The Widening Gyre" is a defining moment for Altan. [...] [It] is much more than a mere scholarly treatise. The energy and enthusiasm are palatable, and there's a sense of celebration that echoes throughout. [...] Altan has made the kind of album that defines them as distinctive." "Irish Music Magazine"'s critic Eileen McCabe, stated: "Altan are just at the start of their next chapter and having shown their inimitable metal with "The Widening Gyre"; they have set the standard at an all time high." "Folkworks" reviewer Anya Sturm, stated: "Altan's new CD "The Widening Gyre" is