Spasms of the iris sphincter

A patient is described who suffered from intermittent spasms of the pupillary sphincter and ciliary muscle. Both intraocular muscles contracted several times a minute, producing sporadic darkening of vision in the affected eye. The spasms continued for eleven days, so it was possible to document them pupillographically. This curious phenomenon seems to have been the result of a transient "irritability" of the ciliary ganglion.