The Jaw-Winking Syndrome (Marcus Gunn Jaw-Winking Synkinesis or MGJWS) is an uncommon congenital disorder of cranial nerve “miswiring”.
The key feature is eyelid movement (ptosis or winking) associated with jaw movements. The eyelid movement may be worse if the person chews.
The condition may be unilateral or bilateral.
Mechanism: branch of the fifth cranial nerve is associated with a branch of the third cranial nerve supplying the levator muscle
Eyelid Excursion
Severity
< 2 mm
mild
2 to 4 mm
moderate
> 4 mm
severe
A patient with moderate to severe eyelid movements may benefit from some form of intervention. One technique is to perform excision of the levator muscle followed by frontalis suspension. It is important to balance binocular vision and cosmesis.
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