Apraxia of lid opening in blepharospasm.

Apraxia of lid opening is a nonparalytic motor abnormality characterized by difficulty in initiating the act of lid elevation. It has been reported with extrapyramidal disorders, including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea, progressive supranuclear palsy, and Shy-Drager syndrome. We found seven cases (7%) of functionally disabling apraxia of lid opening in 100 consecutive blepharospasm patients studied. It is important for physicians treating blepharospasm to be aware of the association between these two visually debilitating disorders.