Electrical phenomena associated with movements of the eyelid.

A series of observations were made on a normal subject, a subject with a non-metallic prosthesis and one with unilateral facial paralysis in order to demonstrate the role of the eyelid in the production of the electrical potential seen during blinking. The findings support the hypothesis that moving the eyelid over the positively charged cornea of an intact ocular globe alters the electrical field around the globe and is therefore responsible for the recorded potentials. The data are consistent with previous findings that the polarity of the potential due to eyelid movement is opposite that due to vertical ocular rotation in the same direction. The potential occurs in the absence of ocular rotation.