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Objectives: Facial nerve palsy causes blurred vision and ocular discomfort due to deficits in blinking and eye closure. The objective of this study was to determine whether eye-blinks could be elicited by electrical stimulation and whether electrically induced blink would have an effect on the visual acuity and ocular symptoms in patients with acute facial nerve palsy. Methods: The zygomatic branch of the facial nerve of fifteen participants with acute facial nerve palsy was electrically stimulated in order to elicit a blink. In successful cases, the participant proceeded with a two-hour TV watching session in which an electrically induced blink was delivered every 5 seconds. The control condition consisted of an otherwise similar TV watching session without electrically induced blinking. Subjective ocular symptoms were evaluated with a Dry Eye Questionnaire and visual acuity was assessed with a Logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution (LogMAR) chart before and after both sessions. Results: The stimulation produced a blink in 8 participants (53%). The visual acuity in the affected eye decreased during the control session, whereas no significant change occurred during the stimulation session. The ocular symptoms were significantly reduced during the stimulation session. Conclusions: Electrically elicited blink is a promising method for reducing the eye symptoms in individuals with acute facial nerve palsy.

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Facial paralysis due to damage of the facial nerve affects the function of facial muscles, including the muscles responsible for eye blinking. The absence of the eye blink can lead to severe and permanent corneal damage as the protection and lubrication of the eye is decreased. Thus, it would be highly important to provide an aid to sustain the eye health. The present aim was to study the effects of long-term electrical eye blink stimulation using a facial stimulation prototype. Five healthy participants watched a movie for 78 minutes, while the eye blinks were produced to their left eye by pre-programmed, timer-triggered blink stimulation at fixed intervals. We analyzed the functionality of the stimulation prototype, potential changes in the quality of the produced blinks, and the ratings of experiences in terms of pain, discomfort, and naturalness. We also analyzed the acuity of vision before and after the stimulation. The results showed that the stimulated eye blink was rated as not painful, somewhat uncomfortable, and slightly unnatural. With three participants the stimulation evoked a full eye closure throughout the study, and with two participants, the stimulation evoked partial blink after some time. Further, on four of the cases, the vision of the stimulated eye was better after the movie than before it. The participants told that the stimulation did not disturb the movie watching. As the findings were promising, the next steps include more comprehensive tests both with intact participants and with persons having an acute facial paralysis.