Biofeedback in the treatment of blepharospasm: a case study

Although biofeedback has been of value in treating spastic paresis and torticollis, its effectiveness in other movement disorders is less clear. Blepharospasm, which has no definitive treatment, often has a strong psychogenic component. The authors report the use of electromyographic and temperature biofeedback in a women with blepharospasm who had responded poorly to psychotherapy. Her improvement during biofeedback treatment further elucidated psychogenic factors contributing to the disorder. At 3-months follow-up it seemed that the patient's secondary gain from the blepharospasm diminished the maximum treatment response she could have had to biofeedback.