Lesion of the oculomotor nerve: symptoms

The oculomotor nerve belongs to the group of mixed nerves. It consists of motor and parasympathetic fibers. It is due to the oculomotor nerve that the raising, lowering, turning and other movements of the eyeball are carried out. But its role is much more important and consists not only in it. This is a necessary functional component for normal operation of the visual analyzer nerve also provides normal eyelid movements and pupil's reaction to light.

Lesion of the oculomotor nerve: symptoms, basic manifestations

It is worth noting that an isolated violation of this nerve is very rare. Here are the main symptoms:

• Immobility of the upper eyelid muscle and, as a consequence, its partial or complete omission;
• Absence of resistance for the upper oblique and lower rectus muscles, as a result of which they can diagnose divergent strabismus;
• Immobility of the internal rectus muscle and, as a consequence, the appearance of the phenomenon of double vision (diplopia);
• Absence of pupil's reaction to light;
• Violation of the innervation of the internal muscle and, as a result, the inability of the eye to adapt to objects at different distances from it;
• Absence of contraction of the straight muscles of both eyes, which makes it impossible to turn the eyeballs inside;
• Protrusion of the eye due to loss of tonus of the external muscles, this confirms that the oculomotor nerve was affected.

Most often, all these symptoms are combined with concomitant manifestations, which cause disturbances in the functioning of friendly nerve fibers, a number of muscle groups and organs.

Diagnostic features

If all fibers of the oculomotor nerve are affected, then the manifestation of this is so obvious that there is no doubt that the diagnosis is not diagnosed. First of all, this is ptosis (ovulation of the upper eyelid), dilatation of the pupil, deviation of the eyeball outward and downward.

However, very often there are various combinations of ptosis and pupil dilatation, as well as any other disorders caused by muscle paresis. In such cases, it can be both a primary stage of defeat of the oculomotor nerve fibers and other possible disorders of the accompanying organs. Deliver a timely and accurate diagnosis in such cases is much more difficult.

Causes of defeat, the role of timely diagnosis and treatment

The main reasons for the defeat of the oculomotor nerve are:

• Injuries;
• Neuroinfectious diseases;
• Brain tumors of various etiologies;
• Cerebral vascular pneumonia;
• diabetes;
• stroke.

However, most often the causes of partial or complete damage to the nuclei or fibers of the oculomotor nerve remain only an assumption. Precisely they can not be established. The human body is a very complex system, and has not been fully studied, but it is absolutely certain that the disruption of the work of one of its components along the chain transfers it to other organs, nerves and muscles.

Thus, for example, neuropathy of the oculomotor nerve in an isolated form is very rare and most often is a concomitant manifestation of chronic or congenital diseases, as well as the result of craniocerebral injuries and tumors. With proper and timely treatment, this disease can pass without complications and consequences.

If neuropathy of the oculomotor nerve is suspected, it is necessary to take a whole course of tests, including blood for the presence of neuroinfections in the body. Only after receiving the results and confirming the diagnosis can appoint a course of treatment and be sure to conduct repeated tests.

Diagnosis of the disease

If there is a suspicion of a violation of the function of the oculomotor nerve, confirm or disprove it, and also to identify the real cause of the deviation can only be done by conducting high-quality professional diagnostics. Most often, an ophthalmologist does this, and only in some cases, if the diagnosis is questionable, the consultation of a neurologist is additionally prescribed.

Diagnosis and examination of the organs of vision is carried out on modern computer equipment, as well as by conducting a variety of specialized tests. As a result, after a complex treatment, the patient can be diagnosed.

Also, in addition to standard procedures performed to check the condition of the fundus, determine the quality of vision, eye mobility, identify pupil responses to light, MRI and angiography are performed. If the etiology is not fully identified, and even if the lesion of the oculomotor nerve is confirmed, it is necessary to constantly monitor the patient, as well as to conduct repeated examinations.

Constant monitoring of the condition of the affected organ is a prerequisite for treatment

This is very important, because the timely detection of further progression of the disease, as well as constant monitoring of the appointment of a doctor-appointed treatment are of great importance for the entire condition of the eye and all further human life. So, for example, neuritis of the oculomotor nerve in most cases has a positive dynamics in case the patient complies with all the prescriptions, but the treatment is carried out only with the constant supervision of specialists.

Science does not stand still, and recently one of the innovative methods for diagnosing is superposition electromagnetic scanning of the oculomotor muscles to assess their functional activity. Thanks to this method, the time taken to identify the cause of the impairment is significantly reduced, and it becomes possible to start the treatment much sooner and achieve positive results.

The most effective ways of treatment

As soon as there is a suspicion of a possible impairment of the functions of the oculomotor nerve, the patient is immediately recommended to do exercises to strengthen the muscle responsible for the movement of the organs of vision. Of course, trying to maximally strengthen it is not bad, and not only when there were problems, but even for prevention, but this is only suitable at the very beginning of the occurrence of a violation. If already a fairly large part is affected, these exercises will not be cured, although they are an integral part of the treatment.

The next most common recommendation is the intake of appropriate vitamins and medications, the action of which is also directed to strengthening the eye muscle and restoring its work. It can be special vitamins, eye drops, glasses, bandages that make the sick eye work more actively.

A very big popularity for today use special computer programs. Basically, this is the so-called stereotypes.

Use of computer programs in the treatment of violations of the functions of the eye muscle

It is proved that when looking at such pictures, eye muscles are trained, and, accordingly, blood circulation in them improves. At this time, the nerves responsible for the normal operation of the eye are in an extremely stressed state, and all the reserves of the body are aimed at controlling them, because most other organs are relaxed at the time of viewing and do not require such attention to themselves.

Stereograms really have a very positive result for eyesight, but they can only be used after consulting a doctor. After all, in some cases they are just a panacea, while in others they can cause irreparable harm.

Modern methods of treatment

If after several mutually complementary diagnoses it is confirmed that the oculomotor nerve is affected, treatment should be started without delay. One of the ones that have proved themselves on the positive side and used in practical ophthalmology for several years already is the treatment with electrophoresis of the affected sites of 1.5% neurromidine.

It is carried out by overlapping three circular different electrodes each in the area, the two smaller of which are located on the skin of the orbital region and the upper eyelids with closed eyes. They connect them with a bifurcated wire with an electrode of a larger area, which is located in the cervico-occipital region of the patient's head.

The duration of this procedure at the course of treatment to 15 sessions, conducted daily, is 15-20 minutes. The method allows to locally and purposefully affect the defective neuromuscular synapses of the eyeball, as well as the nuclear structures of the oculomotor nerves.

When surgical intervention is mandatory

In the vast majority of cases, operative surgical intervention is performed. It is aimed at eliminating the cause of the disease. In most cases, due to the possibilities of modern medicine, operations are performed under local anesthesia, and it turns out that the patient is not hospitalized.

Any violations of the function of the eye muscle and various degrees of damage to the oculomotor nerve lead to rather serious consequences. If one eye starts to see badly, the second one tries to make up for this violation as much as possible. In the event that ptosis begins to develop, the adjacent muscles perform the eyelid lifting themselves for a while. That is why from the very birth of a child it is recommended to undergo a regular examination with an ophthalmologist and in no case to miss them. This is very important, because only prevention and timely diagnosis guarantees the most optimal outcome of treatment.