my left eye

hi i have bell's palsy and my left eye is smaller than my right eye i was wondering if there is something that can be done to make my left eye the same size as my right eye ' also my left eye is always dry .what can i use to keep it moist.thank u

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

I suggest you use preservative free artificial tears (Thera Tears Liquigel) every hour or a thicker lubricating ointment like Refresh PM about 4 times a day.  Always the ointment at bedtime.  Avoid smoke, fans, escessive computer work or excessive reading.  Make sure  you are being followed by an ophthalmologist because there are serious dangers if the eye dries out too much.  As far as making the 7th cranial nerve wake up and causing your eyelids to start working again - there's no effective treatment I can recommend strongly.  You can consider trying accupuncture or nerve stimulation and other such things - but it might just be a placebo effect.  No strong evidence that it really helps.

MJK MD