Today is Moebius Syndrome Awareness Day when people from around the world wear purple and raise awareness by sharing their stories of what it is like to live with this condition. Moebius Syndrome is an extremely rare congenital neurological disorder which is characterised by facial paralysis and the inability to move the eyes from side to side. It affects somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 people worldwide. Most people with Moebius syndrome are born with facial paralysis, which means they cannot close their eyes or form facial expressions. Limb and chest wall abnormalities sometimes occur with the syndrome. Most people with Moebius syndrome have normal intelligence, and others should take care not to confuse their lack of facial expression or unusual facial expressions with dullness or unfriendliness. It is named for Paul Julius Möbius, a neurologist who first described the syndrome in 1888 and today would have been his birthday.
Posted on: Fri, 24 Jan 2014 13:18:09 +0000