Treatment of essential blepharospasm

A rather confusing number of conservative, as well as invasive treatment methods for essential blepharospasm are found in the literature. Depending on the severity of symptoms, two types of method became important because of their obvious success and their low rate of complications: Local injection--treatment with botulinum toxin type A in mild and moderate cases and the neurosurgical method of selective neurotomy in severe forms of blepharospasm or after inefficient application of botulinum-A toxin. The different methods of treatment are reviewed.