Diplopia and involuntary eye closure in spontaneous cerebellar hemorrhage

Spontaneous cerebellar hemorrhage is of difficult clinical diagnosis. The causes can be varied, but the hemorrhage is most often associated with hypertensive cardiovascular disease. The neurological symptomatology is complex and often misleading. The diagnosis is mainly dependent on familiarity of the eye signs seen in this disease. Among these, the spontaneous unilateral eye closure is presented as an additional striking manifestation. The displacement of the brain stem by the hematoma is frequently associated with a seventh nerve palsy on the side of the hemorrhage. The patient, in an effort to obviate the diplopia caused by the gaze dissociations and extraocular motor palsies, has only the option to close the eye on the noninvolved side of the face, and thus the eye remaining open is on the side of the cerebellar hematoma. This paper presents reports of two patients with these symptoms.