Blepharospasm means uncontrolled muscle contraction. It is applied to any abnormal blinking or eyelid tic or twitch. Patients with blepharospasm need to be evaluated to rule out a serious neurological conditions such as Tourette’s syndrome, tardive dyskinesia and Parkinson’s disorder. Most cases of blepharospasm have normal eyes although it can be associated with dry eyes and inflammation or infections of the eye lashes. The visual disturbance is due solely to the forced closure of the eyelids and in some cases it is so severe that the patients are functionally blind. I have several patients who can’t leave their home without assistance because of the severe visual limitation!
Blepharospasm usually begins gradually with excessive blinking and/or eye irritation. In the early stages it may occur only with situations that bring on stress such as fatigue and emotional tension. The spasms disappear in sleep or after resting. This aggravation with stress and reduction with relaxation seems to indicate that blepharospasm might be related to the autonomic nervous system. Stress produces a sympathetic or fight or flight response which increases the tone of the autonomic nervous system. Relaxation produces a parasympathetic response and a decrease in the fight or flight response. Blepharospasm might also be due to abnormal functioning of the basal ganglia which is part of the brain that plays a role in all coordinated movements. As the condition progresses, the spasms may intensify so that when they occur the patient is functionally blind; and the eyelids may remain forcefully closed for several hours at a time.
A treatment that allopathic doctors use is Botox injections to paralyze the muscles in spasm. Botox is made from diluting botulinum toxin which is a protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and is considered the most powerful neurotoxin ever discovered. Injections of Botox paralyze the muscles around the eye and reduce the spasms. Unfortunately the treatments are short lived and require re-treatments every several months and usually after many injections the treatments are no longer effective In some cases the treatments can result in total paralysis of the eye lids.
Side effects of Botox
Anxiety; back pain; dizziness; drowsiness; dry mouth; dry or irritated eyes; facial pain; flu-like symptoms; headache; inability to focus eyes; increased cough; indigestion; nausea; neck pain; pain, redness, swelling, or tenderness at the injection site; runny nose; sensitivity to light; stiff or weak muscles at or near the injection site; sweating.
Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); bleeding at the injection site; chest pain; difficulty swallowing or breathing; double or blurred vision or other vision changes; drooping of the upper eyelid; eyelid swelling; fainting; fever, chills, or persistent sore throat; irregular heartbeat; loss of bladder control; loss of strength; paralysis; seizures; severe or persistent muscle weakness or dizziness; shortness of breath; speech changes or problems.
Using Microcurrent to treat Blepharospasm.
Microcurrent is the use of low levels of current to treat the inflammation and muscular spasms. Using frequency specific microcurrent we can program specific frequencies for different part of the body. In treating blepharospasm I programmed the specific frequencies of the eye lid muscles, the autonomic nervous system and the basal ganglia.
Case example
Joan Ray presented with a 5 year history of blepharospasm which has severely limited her life. She is unable to leave her home or go shopping without help. When the eyes go into severe spasm she is functionally blind. She had 3 Botox injections which only lasted a short period of time and each injection had a shorter and shorter time period of the reduction of her blepharospasm. She now refuses the injections because of their ineffectiveness and the severe pain that they cause.
She had a 50 minutes microcurrent treatment with frequencies to reduce spasm and inflammation and also frequencies to help balance the autonomic nervous system and the basal ganglia.
Immediately after the treatments the blepharospasm was markedly reduced and she was able to open her eyes with out discomfort! The effects lasted a couple of hours and she will be continuing the treatments with a home Microcurrent unit programmed with these frequencies.
