Definition
Ophthalmoplegia is a complete or partial paralysis of the oculomotor muscles. This prevents the movements of the eyeball, including those of accommodation (necessary to focus objects).
Ophthalmoplegia can be unilateral or bilateral.
Paralysis of the extrinsic or intrinsic musculature of the eyeball may be due to lesions of the oculomotor nerves, muscle fibers or upstream brain structures. Therefore, it can represent the result of ocular trauma, myopathies, diseases of inflammatory or infectious origin. Ophthalmoplegia can result from head trauma, stroke, vascular lesions, brain tumors, demyelinating and metabolic diseases, such as diabetes. Furthermore, it may represent a symptom of malnutrition, Wernicke's encephalopathy (linked to a thiamine deficiency) and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Possible Causes * of Ophthalmoplegia
- Alcoholism
- cryptococcosis
- Diabetes
- Cerebral hemorrhage
- Wernicke's encephalopathy
- Stroke
- Gaucher disease
- Whipple's disease
- Myasthenia gravis
- Parkinson's disease
- Infant Cerebral Palsy
- Multiple sclerosis
