The spasms disappear in sleep, and some people find that after a good night's sleep, the spasms don't appear for several hours after waking. Concentrating on a specific task may reduce the frequency of the spasms. Meige Syndrome, in addition to blepharospasm has co-existing movements and spasms of the lower face, mouth, tongue, throat, and neck. The voice is often affected as well. There is a distinct overlap between BEB and Meige although either can exist without the other.
Hemifacial spasm is a unilateral involuntary contraction of the facial musculature.
It begins as a twitching around one eye. At this stage, it can be, and very often is, mistaken for benign essential blepharospasm. However, it is always unilateral. The twitching and contraction of the facial muscles slowly progresses and advances down the face to include the musculature of the cheek, the mouth, and the neck. Only exceptionally is the musculature above the eyebrow involved.