Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is an autosomal dominant hereditary disease that usually manifests in patients aged 30-70 and is characterized by very slowly progressive weakness of craniopharyngeal muscles. It is a rare disorder affecting 1 per 100 000 people. However, there is an increased incidence among individuals of French Canadian and Bukharan Jewish descent, with up to 1 per 700 affected.

Symptoms include bilateral ptosis (the most common presenting symptom), dysphagia (the presenting symptom in about 25% of patients), and proximal muscle weakness. Patients may also develop difficulty with eye movements (although often without diplopia), nasal dysarthria, and mild neck weakness.