[Therapy of Benign Essential Blepharospasm with Botulinum Toxin]. / Therapie des essentiellen Blepharospasmus mit Botulinumtoxin.

Blepharospasm is a focal dystonia and a rare disease of the brain that causes involuntary spasms of the muscles responsible for eyelid closure. The diagnosis is made clinically and in unclear cases on the basis of results of electrophysiological tests. Therapy of choice consists of local injections with botulinum toxin that have to be repeated on a regular basis.

[Predictive value of teller Acuity Card Test (TACT) and comparison of recognition and grating acuities in premature children with and without residua of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)]. / Zum prognostischen Stellenwert der Gittersehschärfe bei Frühgeborenen mit und ohne Retinopathia praematurorum (RPM) im Lebensalter von 6 Monaten nach errechnetem Geburtstermin.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate the predictive value of grating acuity as measured by the TAC Test (TACT) at the age of 6 months corrected age and to compare grating and recognition acuities in eyes with and without ROP residua at an age of three to seven years. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The development of visual acuity between 6 months and 3 - 7 years (4.5 years median) was evaluated in 87 eyes of 44 premature children born between the 24 th and 36 th week of gestation, with a birthweight ranging from 550 to 2580 g. Thirteen eyes reached threshold: ROP disease and underwent cryocoagulation. Grating acuity was measured with the TACT at 6 months corrected age and every half year up to three to seven years (median 4.5 years). Recognition acuity was measured with the Sheridan-Gardiner Test (SGT) at 4.5 years (median). TACT-results at 6 months corrected age and 3 - 7 years were compared for the group of patients with normal posterior pole and patients with ROP residua. Furthermore, SGT scores and TACT scores were compared at the 4.5 years follow-up. A visual acuity of >/= 0.1 (3 cy/ degrees ) and >/= 0.4 (13 cy/ degrees ) was considered favourable at the age of 6 months corrected age and 3 - 7 years, respectively. RESULTS: The TACT scores ranged from < 0.03 to 0.2 (< 1.0 to 6.5 cy/ degrees ) at 6 months and from < 0.05 to 2.0 (< 1.6 to 57 cy/ degrees ) at 3 - 7 years. In 77 % of cases the TACT scores at 6 months had predictive value for the further TACT scores and in 78 % for the optotype acuity. There was no difference between eyes with normal posterior pole and eyes with ROP residua concerning the predictive value of non favourable optotype acuity. CONCLUSIONS: Testing grating acuity at 6 months corrected age allows to roughly predict both grating and recognition acuities at the age of 3 - 7 years. No difference between patients with normal posterior pole and patients with ROP residua was found.