Chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia in the absence of ptosis

Classically defined as bilateral, symmetric, and progressive ophthalmoparesis with myopathic ptosis, chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) rarely has been reported in the absence of ptosis. We describe 2 patients with CPEO and without ptosis who presented with binocular diplopia related to small-angle esodeviations, poor fusional amplitudes, and slow saccades. In both cases, hematological studies and neuroimaging ruled out alternative etiologies, whereas muscle biopsy showed findings of mitochondrial myopathy.