Read more about this disease, some with Classification – Types – Signs and symptoms – Genetics – Pathophysiology – Diagnosis – Screening – Prevention – Treatment and management – Cures and much more, some including pictures and video when available.
A blepharospasm (from Greek: blepharo, eyelid, and spasm, an uncontrolled muscle contraction), is any abnormal tic or twitch of the eyelid.
It normally refers to Benign Essential Blepharospasm, a focal dystonia – a neurological movement disorder involving involuntary and sustained muscle contractions of the muscles around the eyes. Benign means the condition is not life threatening. Essential indicates that the cause is unknown, but fatigue, stress, or an irritant are possible contributing factors. Symptoms sometimes last for a few days then disappear without treatment, but in most cases the twitching is chronic and persistent, causing lifelong challenges. The symptoms are often severe enough to result in functional blindness. The person’s eyelids feel like they are clamping shut and will not open without great effort. Patients have normal eyes, but for periods of time are effectively blind due to their inability to open their eyelids.
Although strides have recently been made in early diagnosis, blepharospasm is often initially mis-diagnosed as allergies or “dry eye syndrome”. It is a fairly rare disease, affecting only one in every 20,000 people in the United States.
Some causes of blepharospasm have been identified, however, the causes of many cases of blepharospasm remains unknown, although some educated guesses are being made. Some blepharospasm patients have a history of dry eyes and/or light sensitivity, but others report no previous eye problems before onset of initial symptoms.
Some drugs can induce blepharospasm, such as those used to treat Parkinson’s disease, as well as sensitivity to hormone treatments, including Estrogen replacement therapy for women going through Menopause. Blepharospasm can also be a symptom of acute withdrawal from benzodiazepine dependence. In addition to blepharospasm being a benzodiazepine withdrawal symptom, prolonged use of benzodiazepines can induce blepharospasm and is a known risk factor for the development of bleparospasm.[1]
Blepharospasm may also come from abnormal functioning of the brain’s basal ganglia. Concomitance with dry eye, as well as other dystonias such as Meige’s syndrome has been observed. Blepharospasms can be caused by concussions in some rare cases, when a blow to the back of the head damages the basal ganglia.
[tubepress mode=’tag’, tagValue=’Blepharospasm’]