Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jan 9;42(5):275-283.
doi: 10.1080/01658107.2017.1409770. eCollection 2018 Oct.

Blepharospasm in Japan: A Clinical Observational Study From a Large Referral Hospital in Tokyo

M Wakakura  1 , A Yamagami  1 , M Iwasa  1
Affiliations

Blepharospasm in Japan: A Clinical Observational Study From a Large Referral Hospital in Tokyo

M Wakakura et al. Neuroophthalmology. .

Abstract

Focal dystonia is regarded as a characteristic feature of blepharospasm. However, patients do not always present with motor symptoms. To clarify the clinical features of blepharospasm in Japan, we conducted a retrospective observational study involving a large population of patients from a single institution. Common symptoms included difficulty opening the eyes, photophobia, and ocular pain/irritation. Initial symptoms often occurred following the long-term use of psychotropics such as etizoram, benzodiazepines, and zolpidem (32% of patients). Our findings demonstrated that the clinical presentation of blepharospasm is heterogenous, and that understanding regarding sensory-dominant forms of the disease may be poor among practitioners in Japan.

Keywords: Blepharospasm; benzodiazepines; focal dystonia; psychotropics; sensory-motor disintegration.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The frequency of chief and top-three concerns among patients (n = 959).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Percentage of patients (%) with decreased quality of life according to blepharospasm severity (n = 1055).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Percentage of patients (%) with mood disturbance according to blepharospasm severity (n = 1055).
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Psychotropics prescribed before the onset of blepharospasm. Each bar indicates the freqency among patients treated with a single, two agents, and the overall (total) frequency.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Patient ratings of overall satisfaction with botulinum toxin therapy according to blepahrospasm severity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Japanese neuro-ophthalmology society: clinical guideline of blepharospasm. J Jpn Ophthalmol Soc. 2011;115:617–628. [in Japanese].
    1. Wakakura M. Blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm. J Jpn Ophthalmol Soc. 2005;109:668–680. [in Japanese].
    1. Defazio G, Hallett M, Jimmah HA, Conte A, Berardelli A. Blepharospasm 40 years later. Mov Disord. 2017;32:498–509. doi:10.1002/mds.26934. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. MaCann JD, Gauthier M, Morschbacher R, et al. A novel mechanism for benign essential blepharospasm. Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg. 1999;15:384–389. doi:10.1097/00002341-199911000-00003. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Herz NL, Yen MT. Modulation of sensory photophobia in essential blepharospasm with chromatic lenses. Ophthalmology. 2005;112:2208–2211. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2005.06.030. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources