2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
5 Neuro-Ophthalmology
Chapter 11: The Patient With Eyelid or Facial Abnormalities
Ptosis
Apraxia of Eyelid Opening
Apraxia of eyelid opening is a rare disorder that causes unilateral or bilateral ptosis (Video 11-1). Thought to be supranuclear in origin, it is characterized by the inability to open the eyelids voluntarily, related to frontalis contraction and facial grimacing. It is often associated with extrapyramidal disease such as Parkinson disease, multiple system atrophy, Huntington disease, Wilson disease, and progressive supranuclear palsy. The disorder has also occurred after bilateral frontal lobe infarcts. Apraxia of eyelid opening may also occur in patients with benign essential blepharospasm.
VIDEO 11-1 Apraxia of eyelid opening.
Courtesy of M. Tariq Bhatti, MD.
Access all Section 5 videos at www.aao.org/bcscvideo_section05.
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 5 - Neuro-Ophthalmology. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.