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. 2015 Apr;39(2):303-7.
doi: 10.5535/arm.2015.39.2.303. Epub 2015 Apr 24.

Simultaneous loss of bilateral voluntary eyelid opening and sustained winking response following bilateral posterior cerebral artery infarction

Joon Yeop Kim  1 , Yong Wook Kim  1 , Hyoung Seop Kim  2
Affiliations

Simultaneous loss of bilateral voluntary eyelid opening and sustained winking response following bilateral posterior cerebral artery infarction

Joon Yeop Kim et al. Ann Rehabil Med. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

Spontaneous opening and closing of both eyes usually occurs in the normal awake state, unless a deliberate and voluntary attempt is made to open only one eye. We present a rare case of a male patient who was unable to open both eyes simultaneously after bilateral posterior cerebral artery infarction. He was able to close both eyes voluntarily. However, he was unable to keep both eyes open simultaneously and either the right or left eye remained closed. Upon a verbal command to open both eyes, the opened eye closed and the contralateral eye opened. When the closed eye was forced open, the opened eye closed. We thus presented a case of right-left dissociation of voluntary eyelid opening following bilateral posterior cerebral artery infarction, which was treated with botulinum toxin type A injection. Differential diagnosis to other movement disorders of the eyelids was discussed.

Keywords: Blinking; Botulinum toxins; Eyelids; Posterior cerebral artery.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: No potential conflic of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance image findings. Acute infarction at the level of pons, mid brain, bilateral cerebellum, bilateral thalamus and left visual cortex supplied by the basilar and posterior cerebellar arteries were evident.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. (A) Before botulinum toxin type A injection, the patient showed a winking response, and was unable to open both eyes simultaneously. (B) After injection of 30U botulinum toxin type A into the right orbicularis oculi muscle, simultaneous opening and closing of both eyes was possible.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. (A, B) Blink reflex study showed normal findings at both sides.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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