NERVE INJURY TO FACE AND EYE MUSCLES
Occasionally, an older person with diabetes will suddenly develop double
vision and/or a drooping eyelid. This occurs because one of the three nerves that control the muscles of the eye
gets injured. Usually the nerve recovers after a few weeks and the symptoms improve. Similarly, in a condition
called Bell’s palsy, there is paralysis of the facial nerve (seventh cranial nerve), which supplies muscles of
the face on one side or the other. Usually, the palsy gets better in a few weeks or months. There is one
caveat—since both double vision and the Bell’s palsy can occur with other neurological disorders as well, you
cannot assume that they are due to diabetes, and they should be evaluated by a specialist when they
occur.
Occasionally a person with diabetes will get an injury to the nerve
supplying the sweat glands in the face. When this occurs, there is sweating of the face on eating. This
condition is referred to as gustatory sweating, and one of the treatments for it is the blood pressure medicine
clonidine. Sometimes the sweating tends to happen with specific foods such as cheese.
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