Blepharospasm & Hemifacial Spasm
Blepharospasm
What is blepharospasm?
Blepharospasm refers to the forceful involuntary closure of the eyes. Blepharospasm sufferers are unable to keep their eyes open when they want to. They may complain of sensitivity to light and general eye discomfort. The sufferer often appears to be suffering from a facial tic or twitching.
Who gets blepharospasm?
Blepharospasm is a very uncommon condition, usually affecting people in the 50s or older. It is commoner in women than men.
How bad can it get?
Blepharospasm sufferers often find that blepharospsasm varies in severity during the day being better in the morning and worse later on in the day. Stress may provoke it. It can be worsened by bright light and any condition which causes ocular irritation e.g. dry eye conditions. In the vast majority of patients, the condition tends to be life long, although in some the condition spontaneously resolves.
What causes blepharospasm?
The cause of blepharospasm is unknown. Some researchers think that the problem may lie with a parts of the brain which are responsible for movement regulation. Blepharospasm is thought be a localised form of dystonia
Hemifacial Spasm
What is Hemifacial Spasm?
Hemifacial spasm is a condition characterised by involuntary twitching and contractions of the muscles on one half of the face. Like blepharospasm, it can be concentrated around the eye but generally tends to be be more diffuse affecting the muscles in the lower face too on the same side e.g. the cheek muscles. The condition may be so diffuse as to affect the muscles on the mouth, neck and forehead- all on the same side
What causes hemifacial spasm?
All the muscles on one side of the face are supplied by a nerve called the facial nerve. Hemifacial spasm is thought be due to inappropriate hyperactivity within this nerve causing inappropriate movement of the muscles. In many patients hemifacial spasm develops spontaneously, however in others, hemifacial spasm may occur as result of some problem causing paralysis of the facial nerve itself. In some patients, hemifacial spasm can be caused by irritation of the facial nerve by a blood vessel
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