Eyelid Changes in Facial Palsy

Causes and symptoms

The seventh cranial nerve (facial nerve) supplies the circular muscle around the eye and other important facial muscles. There are a number of different causes Paralysis can have a variety of causes, including diabetes, multiple sclerosis, tick bite disease (Lyme disease), accident, tumor or infection. Paralysis may also persist since birth or may be temporary following vaccination. However, in more than 50% of cases, no cause can be found. Medicine then speaks of “idiopathic facial paralysis”.

The typical symptom of the eye is the incomplete eyelid closure (lagophthalmos): the lower eyelid is deeper than normal and the circular muscle does not receive enough orders from the nerves to completely close the eye.

If a facial paralysis has occurred only recently, then only the dry eye should be treated and it should be awaited whether the paralysis returns by itself. However, if the paralysis has been around for some time, the prospects for spontaneous recovery are small. Then the eyelid closure function should be improved for medical reasons, as there is a permanent eye irritation, which in extreme cases can lead to a corneal ulcer and complete vision loss.