Indian Journal of Ophthalmology

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Year
: 2019  |  Volume : 67  |  Issue : 9  |  Page : 1405--1409

Ocular surface status in patients with hemifacial spasm under long-lasting treatment with botulinum A toxin: A comparative fellow eye study


Marco Pellegrini, Costantino Schiavi, Leonardo Taroni, Stefano Sebastiani, Federico Bernabei, Matilde Roda, Fabiana Moscardelli, Giuseppe Giannaccare 
 Department of Ophthalmology, S.Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Correspondence Address:
Dr. Marco Pellegrini
Department of Ophthalmology, S.Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, University of Bologna, Via Palagi 9, 40138 Bologna
Italy

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of long-lasting botulinum A toxin injections on ocular surface parameters and to further investigate the relationship between these parameters and the duration of the treatment. Methods: In this retrospective study, patients with unilateral hemifacial spasm who were receiving botulinum A toxin injections for at least 1 year were analyzed. Healthy contralateral eyes acted as controls. The ocular surface examination included Ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaire, Schirmer test type I, tear film break-up time (TFBUT), tear osmolarity, corneal sensitivity, and corneal fluorescein staining. Results: Twenty-six patients (6 males and 20 females; mean age 76.4 ± 8.9 years) were included in the study. The mean duration of the treatment was 7.2 ± 5.4 years, and the mean frequency of injections was of one every 3.3 ± 0.4 months. TFBUT, Schirmer test, and corneal sensitivity were significantly lower in the eye homolateral to hemifacial spasm compared with the contralateral one (5.9 ± 3.2 vs 7.5 ± 4.2 s, P = 0.001; 6.2 ± 3.4 vs 9.2 ± 6.6 mm, P = 0.031; 50.8 ± 3.7 mm vs 52.3 ± 2.9 mm, P = 0.048, respectively). One month after the last injection, TFBUT further decreased from 5.9 ± 3.2 to 2.3 ± 1.2 s (P = 0.028). A significant positive correlation was found between the duration of treatment and tear osmolarity (ρ = 0.542, P = 0.025). Conclusion: Patients with hemifacial spasm under long-lasting treatment with serial botulinum A toxin injections showed a reduction in tear film production and stability, as well as corneal sensitivity in the treated eye compared with the contralateral one. Tear film stability further decreased 1 month after the last injection.


How to cite this article:
Pellegrini M, Schiavi C, Taroni L, Sebastiani S, Bernabei F, Roda M, Moscardelli F, Giannaccare G. Ocular surface status in patients with hemifacial spasm under long-lasting treatment with botulinum A toxin: A comparative fellow eye study.Indian J Ophthalmol 2019;67:1405-1409


How to cite this URL:
Pellegrini M, Schiavi C, Taroni L, Sebastiani S, Bernabei F, Roda M, Moscardelli F, Giannaccare G. Ocular surface status in patients with hemifacial spasm under long-lasting treatment with botulinum A toxin: A comparative fellow eye study. Indian J Ophthalmol [serial online] 2019 [cited 2024 Mar 29 ];67:1405-1409
Available from: https://journals.lww.com/ijo/pages/default.aspx/article.asp?issn=0301-4738;year=2019;volume=67;issue=9;spage=1405;epage=1409;aulast=Pellegrini;type=0