Technology for the objective assessment of therapies in essential blepharospasm

Eyelid movement before and after treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA injections was recorded with a smartphone camera, analyzed by a custom-made software, and compared with healthy controls.
Spontaneous eyelid movement decreased significantly following treatment (P<0.001). The decrease in eye movement was so substantial that there was no longer a significant difference in eyelid movement rate between individuals with essential blepharospasm and healthy controls (P=0.32).
Objective assessment of essential blepharospasm is challenging due to disordered eyelid movements. An accurate, objective tool is needed to assess the efficacy of treatments such as botulinum toxin in clinical practice. The combination of a smartphone and custom software appears to offer and effective tool.