Eye Muscle Diseases

The extraocular muscle, or eye muscle, is used to turn the eye as the brain directs it. There are six extraocular muscles in the human eye. When disease strikes these muscles, sight and eye movement are both affected.

Muscle eye brain disease

• Muscle eye brain disease is a rare congenital condition that leaves an infant with weak eye muscles and other symptoms such as developmental and mental disabilities, nearsightedness and hydrocephalus. It is caused by a genetic mutation.

Strabismus

• Strabismus is a disease in which the muscles in the eyes do not respond to the brain’s signals as they should. It can either be inherited or caused by an eye injury. Strabismus sufferers can wear eye patches or glasses and perform eye exercises or undergo surgery to treat this disorder.

Graves’ ophthalmopathy

• Graves’ disease, a condition where the immune system attacks the thyroid, also causes a condition called Graves’ ophthalmopathy. The symptoms include swelling of the eye muscles, causing the eye to bulge out of the orbit.

Extraocular pseudotumor

• A pseudotumor can affect the sinus cavity, the eye orbit or even the brain. It occurs when a pseudotumor grows on the extraocular muscle, making the eye bulge. This “tumor” is an inflamed growth of cells that is not cancerous.

Orbital myositis

• Orbital myositis is another disease that causes inflammation in the eye. Orbital myositis cases can occur after sinus infections. The symptom of this condition is inflamed eye muscles leading to a bulging eye.