OBJECTIVES To investigate the effects of injection of botulinum toxin type A (BTX A) into the orbicularis oculi muscle and lacrimal gland in patients with aberrant regeneration after facial palsy (facial synkinesias and hyperlacrimation). METHODS The effect of the toxin injection (on average 75 mouse units of BTX A) into the orbicularis oculi muscle on facial synkinesias was assessed on a fiv...

BACKGROUND The eyelid and canthal areas are common locations for cutaneous tumors. The medial canthus includes, among many other apparatuses, the canthal tendon and lacrimal canaliculi, and its characteristic thin and supple skin is hard to mimic and restore using tissue from other regions. Accordingly, reconstruction of the canthal area can prove challenging for surgeons. Although various meth...

BACKGROUND Static reconstruction surgery that tightens the tension of the inferior tarsus, thereby raising the lax lower eyelid, is a common treatment for paralytic ectropion of the lower eyelid. We present one such operative procedure, in which an orbicularis oculi muscle flap was used. METHODS The surgical technique involves partial resection of the tarsus and the skin, as well as a superio...

BACKGROUND To determine if fine-motor eye exercises can be used for treatment of unilateral, idiopathic cranial nerve VII paresis to improve rate of recovery. METHODS In this prospective, randomized controlled trial, eligible patients were randomized to perform fine-motor eye exercises (n=18) or to do no exercise (n=9) for a period of four weeks. Orbicularis oculi muscle strength was measured...

PURPOSE To determine the effect of hyperthyroidism on both myofiber number and myosin heavy-chain isoform composition within the palpebral orbicularis oculi muscle in rabbits. METHODS Four New Zealand White rabbits were made hyperthyroid by injection of 3,3,3'-triiodothyroinine intraperitoneally every other day for 1 month. Four rabbits were used as control animals. After 1 month the rabbits ...

We investigated the involvement of the cerebellar cortex in the adaptive modification of corneal reflex blinks and the regulation of normal trigeminal reflex blinks in rats. The ansiform Crus I region contained blink-related Purkinje cells that exhibited a complex spike 20.4 msec after a corneal stimulus and a burst of simple spike activity correlated with the termination of orbicularis oculi a...

OBJECTIVE It is well known that gradual loss of elastic fibers and skin relaxation cause the aging process, but whether changes in the orbicularis oculi muscle may contribute to the aging of the upper eyelid is not known. The aim of the present study was to use histopathologic examination to investigate whether the orbicularis oculi contributes to upper eyelid aging. METHODS Full-thickness up...

BACKGROUND The exact anatomical cause of the tear trough remains undefined. This study was performed to identify the anatomical basis for the tear trough deformity. METHODS Forty-eight cadaveric hemifaces were dissected. With the skin over the midcheek intact, the tear trough area was approached through the preseptal space above and prezygomatic space below. The origins of the palpebral and o...

This study provides a comprehensive description of upper eyelid movement in normal human subjects. Using the magnetic search coil technique to monitor lid position and modified skin electrodes to record orbicularis oculi electromyographic (EMG) activity, the authors found that the basic eyelid movements, blinks, and saccadic lid movements, can be uniquely and reliably characterized by their amp...