Eye bobbing associated with jaw movement

Abstract

Two patients were treated for a previously unreported disorder believed to be related to Marcus Gunn jaw-winking. The first, a 9-month-old infant with left congenital blepharoptosis without jaw-winking and with normal ocular motility had an up and down movement of the left globe synchronous with nursing movements of the jaw. The second was a 5-year-old girl with left blepharoptosis, jaw-winking, and left double elevator palsy who had up and down movements of both the left upper lid and the left globe synchronous with chewing. The left globe movements were most prominent in the field of vertical action of the superior rectus muscle and persisted after levator excision and fascia lata sling procedures. The possible etiology of the Marcus Gunn jaw-winking phenomenon is discussed and related to our cases of eye bobbing. The eye bobbing probably is caused by abnormal innervation to the superior rectus muscle produced by jaw movements in a manner analogous to the abnormal stimulation of the levator muscle in jaw-winking. The similar embryologic development and innervation of the levator and superior rectus muscles add credence to this theory.