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Cranial mononeuropathy III - compression type - Symptom

Alternative Names

Third cranial nerve palsy; Oculomotor palsy; Pupil-involving third cranial nerve palsy

Symptoms:

  • Double vision
  • Drooping of one eyelid (ptosis)
  • Enlarged pupil that reacts poorly to light
  • Headache or eye pain

Other symptoms may occur if the cause is a tumor or trauma. Decreasing consciousness is a serious sign, because it could indicate brain damage or impending death.

Signs and tests:

An eye examination may show:

  • Enlarged (dilated) pupil of the affected eye
  • Eye movement abnormalities
  • Eyes that are not aligned (dysconjugate gaze)

A complete medical and nervous system (neurological) examination is performed to find out if any other parts of the body are affected.

Other tests may include:

You may need to be referred to a doctor who specializes in vision problems related to the nervous system (neuro-ophthalmologist).

  • Reviewed last on: 6/15/2010
  • David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Daniel B. Hoch, PhD, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Baloh RW. Neuro-ophthalmology. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 450.

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