article_snippet.sent: Facial palsy, or weakness of the facial muscles, can stop the patient's eyelids closing properly.
article_snippet.sent: Most also have difficulty blinking, because The facial nerve - which rises from the bottom of the brain on both sides controls the muscle that makes the eye blink shut.
article_snippet.sent: However, the nerve controls the muscle that makes the eye blink shut does not control the levator muscle, which holds the nerve controls the muscle that makes the eye blink shut open.
article_snippet.sent: The extra weight makes the eyelid heavier, so The extra weight closes automatically when the levator muscle relaxes.
article_snippet.sent: When Lauren wanted to blink, Lauren brain switched off the levator muscle, which keeps the eyelid wide open.
article_snippet.sent: The corresponding muscle, the orbicularis occuli muscle, which should pull the eyelid down, does not work in Lauren's case because the eyelid is controlled by the facial nerve.
article_snippet.sent: Although it wasn't a perfect solution - at first, Lauren's eye closed more slowly than a fully functioning eyelid - at least Lauren could blink again.
article_snippet.sent: Over time, the blinking gets better as muscle tone improves.