The ptosis is typically bilateral but may be unilateral for a period of months to years before the fellow lid becomes involved.Ophthalmoplegia (the inability or difficulty to move the eye) is usually symmetrical, therefore, patients are not affected by diplopia (double vision). The progressive ophthalmoplegia is often unnoticed till decreased ocular motility limits peripheral vision. Often someone else will point out the ocular disturbance to the patient. Patients will move their heads to adjust for the loss of peripheral vision caused by inability to abduct or adduct the eye. All directions of gaze are affected; however, downward gaze appears to be best spared. This is in contrast to progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), which typically affects vertical gaze and spares horizontal gaze.Mitochondrial retinopathy has been described in CPEO which presents with a spectrum of distinct retinal phenotypes. This includes mild, focal pigmentary abnormalities on funduscopy and widespread granular pigmented fundus alterations. Mild, asymptomatic retinopathy might be underreported; severe retinopathy may be associated with significant vision loss. Occurring alongside CPEO
Weakness of extraocular muscle groups including, the orbicularis oculi muscle as well as facial and limb muscles may be present in up to 25% of patients with CPEO. As a result of the orbicularis oculi weakness, patients may suffer from exposure keratopathy (damage to cornea) from the inability to close the eyes tightly. Frontalis muscle weakness may exacerbate the ptotic lids with the inability to compensate for the ptosis.
The dysfibrinogenemias consist of three types of fibrinogen disorders in which a critical blood clotting factor, fibrinogen, circulates at normal levels but is dysfunctional. Congenital dysfibrinogenemia is an inherited disorder in which one of the parental genes produces an abnormal fibrinogen. This fibrinogen interferes with normal blood clotting and/or lysis of blood clots. The condition therefore may cause pathological bleeding and/or thrombosis. Acquired dysfibrinogenemia is a non-hereditary disorder in which fibrinogen is dysfunctional due to the presence of liver disease, autoimmune disease, a plasma cell dyscrasias, or certain cancers. It is associated primarily with pathological bleeding. Hereditary fibrinogen Aα-Chain amyloidosis is a sub-category of congenital dysfibrinogenemia in which the dysfunctional fibrinogen does not cause bleeding or thrombosis but rather gradually accumulates in, and disrupts the function of, the kidney.Congenital dysfibrinogenemia is the commonest of these three disorders. Some 100 different genetic mutations occurring in more than 400 families have been found to cause it. All of these mutations as well as those causing hereditary fibrinogen Aα-Chain amyloidosis exhibit partial penetrance, i.e. only some family members with one of these mutant genes develop dysfibrinogenemia-related symptoms. While both of these congenital disorders as well as acquired dysfibrinogenemia are considered very rare, it is estimated that ~0.8% of individuals with venous thrombosis have either a congenital or acquired dysfibrinogenemia. Hence, the dysfibrinogenemia disorders may be highly under-diagnosed conditions due to isolated thrombotic events that are not appreciated as reflecting an underlying fibrinogen disorder.Congenital dysfibrinogenemia is distinguished from a similar inherited disorder, congenital hypodysfibrinogenemia.