Impact of botulinum toxin injections on quality of life and self-esteem in patients with blepharospasm.

To determine the effects of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) injections on self-esteem and quality of life (QOL) in blepharospasm patients, we enrolled 87 patients into the study. Patients completed the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire, the Self-Esteem Scale (SES), and the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) before treatment on the date of enrollment and again after 4 weeks of treatment with BoNT-A. The overall QOL, general health status, the physiological and psychological domain scores of the WHOQOL-BREF, and the SES score significantly improved after treatment. The motor symptoms improved, and the OSDI score increased after treatment. Overall QOL and SES scores were correlated with disease duration, while psychological domain scores were correlated with mean duration of therapeutic effect. All variables correlated with OSDI scores. In conclusion, BoNT-A injections improved QOL and self-esteem in blepharospasm patients.