Ophthalmoplegia

Ophthalmoplegia is a disease characterized by paralysis of the extraocular muscles, which results in limited eye movement, drooping of the upper eyelid, and incomplete closure of the eye. Eye symptoms are combined with neurological ones - coordination, speech, sensitivity, etc.

Normally, the eye muscles are supplied by three pairs of cranial nerves. The oculomotor nerve (CN. III, nn. III-IV-VI) innervates the superior oblique and inferior oblique muscles, the orbicularis superior and orbicularis inferior muscles, the trochlear muscle in combination with the abducens nerve - CN. IV, no. abducens. The motor innervation of the ciliary muscle is carried out by the trigeminal nerve CN. V. With ophthalmoplegia, there is either complete or partial paralysis of each muscle group or group while maintaining their function. Paralysis can be either unilateral or bilateral. Often, paralysis of the eye muscles is accompanied by acute cerebrovascular accident, tumors, disruption of the internal environment of the body, trauma, inflammation and infectious diseases. But this does not always indicate the ophthalmological nature of the disease. Pathologies also occur with poisoning, inflammation of the trigeminal nerve - Ramsay-Hendson syndrome, disease of the thoracic vertebral spine, weakness of the facial muscles, removal of the temporal lobe of the brain as a result of cancer or purulent inflammation, stroke, head injury. There is also a possible connection between myopathy of the internal eye muscles and Wilson-Konovalov disease and phosphorus intoxication. Often the cause is functional ophthalmoplegia (adrenalophobia) caused by stress.