Progressive External Ophthalmoplegia
Progressive External Ophthalmoplegia Definition
Progressive external ophthalmoplegia is a disorder of the mitochondria marked by multiple mitochondrial DNA deletions in the skeletal muscle. The condition is characterized by progressive paralysis of the extraocular muscles resulting to bilateral, proportioned, progressive ptosis leading to ophthalmoparesis later on. The most familiar clinical presentations of progressive external ophthalmoplegia include weakness of the external eye muscles and intolerance to exercise. Other symptoms may include opacity in the lenses of the eyes (cataract), sensory axonal neuropathy, loss of hearing, complete loss of coordination in muscle movements, lack of the function of gonads (hypogonadism); rigidity, tremor, and postural instability (parkinsonism); and clinical depression. Neurologists can diagnose the disorder.