Facial nerve palsy: narrative review on the importance of the eye and its assessment

New solutions are emerging that address specific facial regions in facial nerve palsy (FNP). However the most dreaded consequence of FNP is paralytic lagophthalmos threatening the eye. A way to prioritize these regions is thus required. A review of the literature is conduced to capture the current concepts in evaluating FNP. Overall, patients are assessed from three perspectives: from the clinician's perspective using validated clinician-based grading instruments, from patient's perspective based on FNP-specific patient-reported outcome measures, and from the perspective of the layperson. The existing tools however provide limited information regarding the relative importance of different regions of the face. The eye appears to be an area of great concern for the patient where most surgical therapies are directed at. Addressing ocular problems in FNP carry a high priority but this is not clearly reflected by the standard systems.