Home Care:

Treatment depends on the cause. Follow your health care provider's treatment recommendations. Sometimes steroids and acyclovir may be given depending on the cause.

If the eye cannot be fully closed, the cornea must be protected from drying out with prescription eye drops or gel.

Call your health care provider if:

Call your doctor if you have weakness or numbness in your face. Seek emergency medical help if you experience these symptoms along with a severe headache, seizure, or blindness.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

The doctor will perform a physical exam and ask you questions about your medical history and symptoms, including:

• Are both sides of the face affected?
• Have you recently been sick or injured?
• What other symptoms do you have? For example, drooling, excessive tears from one eye, headaches, seizures, vision problems, weakness, or paralysis.

Tests that may be done include:

• Blood tests, including blood sugar, CBC, ESR, Lyme test
• CT scan of the head
• Electromyography
• MRI of the head

The doctor may refer you to a physical, speech, or occupational therapist. If facial paralysis from Bell's palsy persists for more than 6 - 12 months, plastic surgery may be recommended to improve eye closure and facial appearance.