The pupillary light reflex has been studied for centuries, from Galen's pre-surgical pupil checks in ancient Rome to Rhazes of Baghdad's earliest systematic use of the PLR as an independent clinical biomarker. Today, quantitative pupillometry, dynamic pupillary assessment using validated smartphone-based applications, gives clinicians access to data points that were once available only in research settings. For functional neurologists, chiropractors specializing in neurology, and advanced rehabilitation clinicians, this course places that technology firmly within reach and within a rigorous clinical framework.

This one-hour course taught by Dr. John McLaren, board-certified chiropractic neurologist and Fellow of the American Board of Brain Injury and Rehabilitation, translates the foundational research on the PLR as a concussion and dysautonomia biomarker into direct clinical application. Participants gain fluency in interpreting key pupillometric variables including latency, maximum and minimum pupillary diameter, maximum constriction velocity, and the T75 recovery metric. Through case presentations drawn from Dr. McLaren's active practice, clinicians see how pupillometric waveforms reflect the functional integrity of the locus coeruleus, Edinger-Westphal nucleus, prefrontal cortex, and cerebellum. The result is an examination tool that quantifies what clinical observation alone cannot.

This course is designed for licensed clinicians already engaged in functional neurology, traumatic brain injury rehabilitation, post-COVID care, or dysautonomia management who want to add objective, repeatable measurement to their neurological examination. Clinicians who manage complex cases and want a real-time biomarker that tracks therapeutic response during a single visit will find immediate utility here.

Dr. McLaren brings personal and professional depth to this material. His clinical work in long COVID rehabilitation informed his use of the PLR as a longitudinal outcome measure, and his experience with movement disorder cases including DBS monitoring demonstrates the breadth of this tool's application. His teaching style is grounded, case-driven, and clinically honest.

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