Day 11 - Droopy Eyelid

Finally I got a good night's sleep! I slept like a baby last night. I must have finally tired myself out. It feels good to be refreshed and recharged.

I've been looking through my pictures and I'm not noticing much of a difference over the last couple of days. I guess the rest of the swelling will gradually go away. I did notice my droopy right eyelid though!

I developed it about a year ago. I was taking a nap in the sunlight and my left eye was cuddled on the pillow while my right eye was exposed to the sun. Anyway, I woke up with a puffy right eye - it looked like I'd just come out of a 12 round fight. Ever since then my right eye lid has always drooped a little. I expected it to recover over time but it sure looks like it hasn't. In any case, I looked up some exercises to strengthen up the muscles on the right side of my face. Here they are:

You need to be patient, and work the muscles gently. The idea is not only to regain motion, but for the motion to be balanced with the good side. Don't force things to the point that the two sides pull against each other. If you see a motion pulling other muscles that shouldn't be moving, back off a little, and freeze it at that point, and relax the muscles that shouldn't be moving. Keep your eyes on those eager-beaver muscles in the cheek area as you work your eye or mouth. And check the muscle that runs down your neck to make sure it doesn't "pop out". Keep the muscle movements appropriately isolated. Use a mirror - the feeling of motion you get while exercising can be very deceptive, so this is important. The mirror will also help you avoid letting the good side overcompensate by moving in an exaggerated way.

Remember not to push it - better to hold a position at the point it can go without inappropriate muscles jumping in to help than to try too hard to do things your face isn't ready for. Movements will elongate with time.

Exercise in short sessions, but repeat the routine 2-3 times a day, more if you can. Quantity is not as important as quality, so don't do your exercises when you're tired.

1. Sniffle. Wrinkle nose. Flare nostrils.
2. Curl upper lip up and raise and protrude upper lip.
3. Compress lips together. Pucker lips & attempt to whistle.
4. Smile without showing teeth; then smile showing teeth.
5. Try moving your lips into a small smile slowly. Then gently pucker slowly using equal strength from both sides.
6. Draw angle of mouth upward so as to deepen furrow from side of nose to side of mouth.
7. Harden (wrinkle) the chin; "stick out" the chin (like a boxer).
8. Using your index finger and thumb pull the corners of your lips in toward the center. Slowly and smoothly push out and up into a smile. Continue the movement up to the cheekbone. Use a firm pressure.
9. Placing 4 fingertips on the eyebrow rub using a firm stroke up to the hairline. Return downward to the eyebrow. Do the same type of massage in a circular motion on your cheeks and chin, and outward to your ear.
10. Try to close the eye slowly and gently, without letting your mouth pull up or your eyebrow move downward.
11. Raise eyebrows and hold for 10 -15 seconds (watch out for synkinesis - hold the brow at a point before the corner of your mouth starts to move or your cheek tries to help). Wrinkle forehead.
12. Frown and draw eyebrows downward.
13. Gently wink with one eye and then the other to the best of your ability. Don't push it.
14. Open eyes widely, but without involving your eyebrow. Stop if you see any inappropriate muscle actions.
    

And here's a set of exercises specifically for droopy eyelids:

1. Gently tone the muscles of the eyes by pressing two fingers on each side of your head, at the temples, while opening and closing your eyes rapidly. Repeat 5 times.
2. Sit upright with your eyes closed and relaxed. While keeping your eyes closed the whole time, first look down and then look up as far as possible. Repeat the facial exercise 10 times.
3. Sit upright with your eyes closed and relaxed. Keep your eyes closed while lifting your eyebrows and stretching your eyelids down as far as possible. Keep in this position for 5 counts, relax and repeat 5 times.
4. Sit upright with your eyes relaxed and open. Lift your eyebrows while closing your top eyelids until about halfway closed, then open your eyelid wide open until the white of your eye shows over your iris.
5. Sit upright looking straight ahead with your eyes open. Look up then down, while keeping your head still. Repeat 10 times. Then look left and right - repeat 10 times.