A comparative study of tear secretion in blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm patients treated with botulinum toxin

In the neuro-ophthalmology clinic at St. Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, 57 patients with blepharospasm and 50 patients with hemifacial spasm were treated with botulinum toxin. Schirmer tear tests were conducted on all the patients prior to each treatment and at 1 week following treatment where possible. The results were compared with a control group of 107 patients selected by age and sex. The blepharospasm patients were found to have a significantly lower tear secretion than that of the control group, using the Mann-Whitney test (median = 3.5 mm, compared with median-11.0 mm, p < .0001). This did not improve following treatment. The patients with hemifacial spasm did not have significantly different tear secretion from that of the control group (t = 1.0, p > .05). To investigate whether there was any relationship between the symptoms and the result of the Schirmer test, a survey was also conducted on the patients with blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm regarding symptoms, frequency, and type of drops/ointment used.