Miller Fisher Syndrome

Miller Fisher syndrome is a rare variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disorder of the peripheral nervous system. It is marked by a distinctive triad of ophthalmoplegia, paralysis of the eye muscles, ataxia, loss of coordination, and areflexia, absence of tendon reflexes, typically appearing days after a respiratory or gastrointestinal infection. Most cases are associated with antibodies against the ganglioside GQ1b, which is concentrated in the nerves controlling eye movement and balance. The condition is named for the Canadian neurologist C. Miller Fisher, who described it in 1956, and most patients recover over weeks to months, often with the same supportive treatments used for Guillain-Barré syndrome, intravenous immunoglobulin or plasma exchange.