Central eye movement disorder in a case of myotonic dystrophy

Abstract

Myotonic dystrophy in a 58-year-old patient was diagnosed on clinical grounds together with a positive family history. There was a striking dissociation between loss of saccades in the horizontal direction and the preserved ability to generate pursuit movements. Vertical movements were much less affected. The oculomotor deficits point towards brainstem pathology as they cannot be explained by pathology of the motor unit.

Key Words:

• myotonic dystrophy
• gaze palsy
• saccades
• loss of