BACKGROUND Anecdotal evidence has previously suggested that retrobulbar local anaesthetic (LA) injection is accompanied by the rapid onset of ptosis. Here the validity of this potentially valuable sign is tested. METHODS 25 patients received a retrobulbar injection and the times for development of ptosis and akinesia in other extraocular muscle groups were recorded and compared. The effects o...

PURPOSE Embryonic eyelid closure is a well-documented morphogenetic episode in mammalian eye development. Detection of eyelid closure defect in humans is a major challenge because eyelid closure and reopen occur entirely in utero. As a consequence, congenital eye defects that are associated with failure of embryonic eyelid closure remain unknown. To fill the gap, we developed a mouse model of d...

INTRODUCTION Endoscopic sinus surgery can result in serious extraocular muscle dysfunction. The medial rectus muscle is more frequently affected than other extraocular muscles. METHODS A transconjunctival subperiosteal medial orbitotomy was successful in retrieving a partially extirpated medial rectus muscle after endoscopic sinus surgery. RESULTS A previous attempt to localize this muscle ...

Extraocular muscles are characterized by their faster rates of contraction and their higher resistance to fatigue relative to limb skeletal muscles. Another often reported characteristic of extraocular muscles is that they generate lower specific forces (sP(o), force per muscle cross-sectional area, kN/m(2)) than limb skeletal muscles. To investigate this perplexing issue, the isometric contrac...