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Plastic Eyelid Spring for Patients with Bells palsy or Inability to Close the Eyelids

Patients with permanent Bells palsy or facial nerve injury may be unable to blink and protect their cornea. Irreversible visual loss can occur if the cornea is not kept lubricated.

Current treatment options for patients whose eyelid blink does not blink include frequent drops and ointment, patching the eye closed, sewing parts of the eyelid together (tarsorrpahy), upper lid gold weight, or a dental wire spring.

As a more convenient option to the above alternatives, we propose a new spring to close the eyelid made out of the surgical stitches (sutures) commonly used in medicine and eyelid surgery. The stitch will be made into a custom shape and attached underneath the skin near the centre of the lid.

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Participation Requirements

  • Sex:

    Any

  • Eligible Ages:

    18 and up

Participation Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:
Study participants should be 18 years or older, and unable to close their eyelids completely six months or more after Bells Balsy or injury to the facial nerve are eligible for the study.

Participants should be able to tolerate the procedure under local anesthetic.

Participants should be able to return to the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Edmonton, AB for follow-up 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after the surgery date.
Exclusion Criteria:
Approximately 99% or more of adult patients tolerate local anesthetic to the upper eyelid.
Individuals who require general anesthetic for an eyelid procedure should not get the experimental eyelid spring, but choose conventional treatments.

Children are excluded from the study since most children do not tolerate local anesthetic needle to the eyelid skin when awake.

Study Location

University of Alberta
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

Contact Study Team

Primary Contact

Edsel Ing

[email protected]
780 735 8784
Study Sponsored By
University of Alberta
Participants Required
More Information
Study ID: Pro00149272