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Ocular myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic fatigue of the eye muscles, resulting in double vision and droopy eyelids. It is treatable with medications, surgery, or devices. It is not hereditary and can range from mild to severe. Eye strain is the first stage of a general myasthenia gravis that will eventually affect the entire body.
Ocular myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic fatigue of the eye muscles. It is characterized by rapid fatigue of the voluntary eye muscles that flares up during periods of activity and subsides with periods of rest. It affects both eyes and eyelids. People affected often experience double vision and droopy eyelids, a condition called ptosis. Ocular myasthenia gravis is treatable, with treatments that include medications, surgery, or the use of devices that help improve eye function.
Ocular myasthenia gravis is a very specific type of myasthenia gravis, a disease that can weaken muscle activity throughout the body. It is not hereditary and is not passed on from person to person. The ocular variation of the disease is created by a faulty immune system which causes antibodies to disrupt nerve impulses transmitted to the eye. Symptoms can range from mild to severe; some experience only mild eye strain, while others may suffer from severe ptosis and blurred vision. Bright lights often aggravate symptoms.
Various medications are available to help treat ocular myasthenia gravis. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors can help increase acetylcholine receptor levels and improve eye function. Drugs that suppress the immune system, called immunosuppressant drugs, can also be used to inhibit the immune system’s ability to impair eye function; corticosteroids are a commonly used immunosuppressive drug. Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy (IVIG) is another possible resource, in which antibodies from donor plasma are administered intravenously.
Eye doctors may also choose to perform surgery to remove the eye’s thymus gland, a procedure called a thymectomy. A thymectomy surgery has the potential to cure the disease. Many cases of ocular myasthenia gravis may go untreated, but may report improvement in symptoms.
Some types of corrective lenses may also be able to improve or correct blurriness and double vision. Wearing eye patches can also help. Some individuals might wear devices that help keep the eyelids open in cases where severe ptosis is a problem. Examples of such devices are eyelid crutches, which attach to eyeglasses and help open the eyelids, and duct tape that holds the eyelids open.
In many cases, eye strain is the first stage of a general myasthenia gravis that will eventually affect the entire body. Others, however, experience only symptoms of myasthenia gravis in the eye. The disease is generally progressive, although some people may experience periods where symptoms stagnate or even remit.
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