July 16, 2012 It is a condition in which the eyelid cannot cover the eyeball so the cornea and conjunctiva become dry and prone to inflammation (keratitis e lagophthalmo).
Causes:
This occurs because of the orbicular muscle weakness caused by facial nerve palsy due to severe exophthalmos and eyelid tissue defect.
Treatment:
The cause of lagophtalmus should be removed. Surface of the eye should be protected by artificial tears, and at night with neutral fat. In severe cases, moist chamber is put – hour glass is fastened with tight patch over the eye so that the air inside is constantly moist, which prevents drying out the surface of the eye. The final solution is surgery.