Ocular and Palpebral Manifestations of Facial Palsy: An Epidemiologic Descriptive Study

Abstract

Purpose

We describe the ocular and periocular clinical features in patients with a facial palsy diagnosis of any etiology and to report the demographics, relevant medical history and treatment modalities in these patients.

Patients and Methods

Retrospective and descriptive observational study. A total of 60 patients with a facial palsy diagnosis in the last 5 years were recruited from an ophthalmological clinic in northeastern Mexico. Demographic data, such as age, sex, disease evolution and etiology, visual acuity, ocular symptoms and ocular and periocular clinical features were obtained. Personal history of previous ophthalmologic surgery, as well as ocular and systemic diseases, were also recorded. Finally, a comparative analysis was done to determine association between signs, symptoms and treatment modalities.

Results

A prevalence of 0.14% was reported, 56.7% of patients were female, and mean age of presentation was 55.63±17.2 years. 76.7% of facial palsy was idiopathic in origin, followed by vascular disease in 8.30% and iatrogenic in 6.70%. 40% of patients had a history of arterial hypertension, 36.3% were diabetic, and 6.70% had cerebrovascular disease.

Conclusion

Early diagnosis of facial palsy is crucial in establishing an effective treatment plan and avoiding complications. The impact of this disease in patients’ quality of life cannot be overlooked, and steps should be taken to address the different impairments that this ailment entails.

Keywords:

• dry eye
• ophthalmology
• oculoplastics
• facial palsy
• epidemiology

Abbreviations

FP, facial palsy; CN VII, cranial nerve VII; HSV-1, herpes simplex virus 1; DM, diabetes mellitus; OR, odds ratio.

Ethics Declaration

The present study was approved by the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education Ethics in Research Committee (Comité de Ética en Investigación de la Escuela de Medicina del Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey) and the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education Research Committee (Comité de Investigación del Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey) under the registration number: P000602-MOPPAF-CI-CR002. All patients agreed to participate in this study and informed consent was obtained. This study follows the principles of the Helsinki Declaration.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all patients included in this study.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

There is no funding to report.