Apraxia of Eyelid Opening

Short video of two patients. First patient: Frequently his rate of blinking is actually, reduced, he often stares straightahead without blinking at all. Intermittently however, he experiences prolonged closure of the eyelids, which has a definite spastic component. Notice his attempts to elevate his eyelids, despite the severe spasm, even the use of his frontalis muscle is insufficient to open the eyelids. Interestingly he has found that he touches the lateral aspect of the right eyelid, his eyes immediately open. This is a common phenomenon in patients with atypical blepharospasm. Patients must manually elevate the eyelids in order to get them open, and even this is unsuccessful because of the significant spasm.