In February 1993, I began blinking excessively and uncontrollably. As it
became worse, I went to a number of eye doctors. They all agreed that my
vision was not impaired and thought the problem was dry eye and
prescribed drops. They did not help. The others thought the cause was
allergies, but it was not that either.
My Focal Eyelid Dystonia Symptoms Intensify
When I coached my sons' basketball games, I not only would miss half of
the games caused by the blinking; I would wear a baseball cap and
sunglasses to hide my eyes. When at a restaurant, my sons, sitting
opposite me, would turn away to avoid looking at my eyes twitching. They
joked about it, not realizing the discomfort and embarrassment I felt. My
wife had to do the weekend driving since I could not. The eye twitching
always seemed to intensify when I was in a moving vehicle. It did not
matter if I was driving or was a passenger. My 90 mile daily round trip to
work became a nightmare. Thankfully, I was able to avoid having any
accidents.
Two Years and Not a Solution
Two years later, I was quite concerned and upset. By this time my quality
of life had become worse. Being a corporate controller, I felt my future and
family’s financial security were threatened.
In June, 1995, I found a local doctor who diagnosed my symptoms as a
rare neurological disorder called focal eyelid dystonia or blepharospasm. It
is the result of “faulty†brain signals sent to the optic muscles, forcing them
to contract, hence the twitching. With the cause being unknown, there
was no hope of relief. (I would later find relief by accident). It is not life-
threatening but could be debilitating. In the worst cases, the sufferer would
be considered legally blind even though their vision may be 20-20.
Injecting Botox Resulted in Some Relief
A neurologist told me that the preferred treatment was injectiing small
doses of Botox (Botulinum toxin) into the eyelids. This would later become
popular to get rid of wrinkles. I had it done, but a short time later I noticed
my eyes looked different. I then also noticed the side of my face and smile
were affected by the botox. After the second round of injections, six weeks
later, I decided to stop.
A Healthy Solution Seemed Hopeful
Several weeks later, I learned of a natural and organic whole food.
This whole food has been available for the last 30 years. I decided to try it.
When I would back out of my driveway to go to work, the spasms would
begin. They would not stop until the car was parked. Six weeks after taking
this natural health food, my wife made me realize that I had not had any
spasms all week. I said, "Could it be that the focal eyelid dystonia is caused
from a nutritional deficiency?"
The Quest to Prove That I Had Found an Alternative Solution That
Really Worked
I spent the next twelve years trying to convince the medical community
that I had discovered something remarkable. No one would listen.
Sometime later I was offered a double-blind study at the Wilmer Eye
Opthomological Institute of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in
Baltimore, Maryland. I was overwhelmed and flattered. Six years later the
results of the study, where I was mentioned twice, was published. The
article appeared in The Journal of Ophthalmology, July, 2004 Issue Volume
138; Issue 1 pages 18 – 32.
It was stated to me that “The food is safe and I expect it to help many
more people. I would recommend it for all who wish to try it for several
months.â€
The results noted that the food was safe, helped some, with no side
effects.
Am very thankful to have overcome my dystonia and am able to encourage others.
Steve Zarren
