Blepharospasm
Overview
Blepharospasm is a focal disorder, which causes uncontrolled and abnormal blinking. Although people suffering from this disorder have a normal vision, they may experience some visual disturbances due to excessive blinking. The term Blepharospasm means uncontrolled muscle contraction of the eyelids. Most often this condition is confused with other eye problems like Ptosis and Blepharitis.
Symptoms
* Excessive blinking * Eye irritation * Fatigue * Emotional tension * Inability to open the eyelids * The symptoms are mostly observed during the day only * Sometimes after a good night's sleep the spasm may not occur for a long period
Causes
Blepharospasm is the result of abnormalities of the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia is present in the brain, it controls and regulates the movements of the body. In some patients doctors have found a history of eye traumas, however, there has not been any substantial evidence to associate these traumas with blepharospasm. Sometimes Blepharospasm may be a secondary or symptomatic occurrence of other disorders like Parkinson’s syndrome, tardive dystonia and Wilson's disease.
Prognosis
With botulinum toxin treatment most individuals with BEB have substantial relief of symptoms. Although some may experience side effects such as drooping eyelids, blurred or double vision, and eye dryness, these side effects are usually only temporary
Treatment
There is no established cure for blepharospasm; treatment can only help to lessen the symptoms of pain, spasms and disturbed postures. Usually the treatment for blepharospasm is three tiered. It involves medication, injection and surgery. These three modes of treatment can be either used singly or in combination, depending on the individual cases. Certain complementary therapies, like physical therapy and speech therapy may also prove to be helpful in the treatment.