Abstract
The authors report their experience with eyelid surgical implants, applied in lagophtalmus therapy of facial nerve palsy. A total of 29 patients (three of them children) were operated upon during the period between 2004 and 2010 at the Eye Clinic for Children and Adults (Prague, Motol Hospital).
Progressive corneal keratopathy was the main indication for operation. The average follow-up period was 4.5 years.
The eyelid surgical implants were made of pure gold. Eyelid function before and after surgery was evaluated in terms of the House-Brackmann scale.
Eyelid function improved in all patients and corneal keratopathy improved in 75% of them. Lagophtalmus was reduced from an average diameter of 6.5 mm (4.5-9.5 mm) before operation to an average diameter of 1.5 mm (0-2.5 mm) after operation.
Twenty-seven of the patients operated upon considered that eyelid surgery had improved their quality of life.