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Facial nerve palsy linked to thinner ipsilateral choroid

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Key Takeaways

  1. Eyes affected by facial nerve palsy had a mean 58 μm thinner subfoveal choroid than fellow eyes
  2. The association may reflect parasympathetic dysfunction, but larger studies are needed to confirm the finding

Facial nerve palsy was associated with significantly thinner subfoveal choroidal thickness (SCT) in the affected eye compared with the fellow eye, according to findings from a small retrospective case series presented at the 59th Annual Scientific Meeting of The Retina Society.

The analysis included 18 eyes from 9 patients with facial nerve palsy. Enhanced-depth optical coherence tomography was used to measure SCT in the eye on the same side as the palsy and the fellow control eye. The median age at the time of the palsy was 52.9 years, and optical coherence tomography evaluation occurred a median of 10.1 months after the palsy.

Subfoveal choroidal thickness was a mean 58 μm thinner in eyes ipsilateral to the facial nerve palsy than in fellow eyes (P = 0.0006).

The presenters noted that the finding may be related to dysfunction of parasympathetic fibers originating from the pterygopalatine ganglion. They said larger cohort studies are needed to validate the association and suggested the finding could inform future efforts to enhance choroidal flow through biostimulation.

Reference

Francis J, et al. Choroidal thickness in facial nerve palsy and its implications. Presented at: 59th Annual Scientific Meeting of The Retina Society; September 23-26, 2026; Los Angeles, CA.

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