Bell's Palsy: What To Do When Your Eye Won't Close
If your eye will not close, it cannot protect itself. A gentle, practical guide to drops, ointment, taping and moisture chambers, and why it may not hurt.
By Bello's founder
July 16, 2026
Of everything you will read about Bell’s palsy, this is the part that matters most. Not because it is the most frightening, but because it is the one thing that can cause lasting damage, and the one thing you can almost entirely prevent.
Most of Bell’s palsy is a waiting game. Your eye is not.
Why the eye is the urgent part
Your eyelid closes because the facial nerve tells a muscle called orbicularis oculi to contract. That is the same nerve Bell’s palsy has inflamed, so when it stops conducting properly, the lid does not come down.
The muscle that opens your eye runs on a completely different nerve, which is untouched. That is why the eye does not simply go still. It stays open.
An eye that cannot close cannot look after itself. It cannot blink, so it cannot sweep tears across the surface. It cannot seal overnight. And the cornea, the clear window at the front, depends entirely on that tear film to stay healthy. Left exposed, it dries, and a dry cornea can scratch, then ulcerate, then scar. Scarring on your cornea affects your sight, and it does not undo itself.
This sounds alarming, and I do not want to frighten you, so here is the other half of it: this is preventable with drops, ointment and tape. People manage it every day. It is fiddly and undignified and it works.
The thing nobody tells you
Your eye may not hurt, even while it is being damaged.
Please read that twice, because it is the detail that catches people out.
In some people with Bell’s palsy, sensation in the cornea is reduced as well. The nerve supply that would normally scream at you when your eye is drying out is muted. So the usual alarm system, the grittiness and the stinging that would send anyone else running for eye drops, may simply not arrive.
This means “it feels fine” is not evidence that it is fine. It can even mean the opposite. Judge your eye by whether it is protected, not by whether it is complaining.
What actually protects it
Three jobs: keep it wet during the day, keep it sealed at night, and keep things out of it.
Through the day: drops, more often than you think
Preservative-free artificial tears are the usual recommendation. Preservative-free matters because you will be using them a lot, and the preservatives in ordinary drops can irritate an eye that is already struggling when used that frequently.
Most people underuse them. If your eye is not blinking properly, tears are not being spread across it, so drops are doing a job your body normally does every few seconds. Hourly is not excessive during the flaccid phase. You cannot really overdo lubrication.
A practical tip: keep a bottle everywhere you actually are. One by your bed, one in your bag, one at your desk. The drops you do not have on you are the drops you do not use.
At night: ointment and a seal
Night is the dangerous window. You are not blinking, tear production drops while you sleep, and you have no idea your eye is open because you are unconscious. Many people sleep with the eye partly open without ever knowing.
Overnight, a thicker lubricating ointment is generally preferred over drops. It lasts for hours rather than minutes. It will blur your vision, which is precisely why it belongs at bedtime and not before your commute.
Then the eye needs a seal. Usually that means taping, or a moisture chamber, or both.
On taping: please get shown how. I am not going to give you a technique here, because doing it wrong can be worse than not doing it at all. A badly placed piece of tape can let the lid drift open behind it, or worse, rub the cornea directly with every movement, which is the exact injury you are trying to prevent. Your doctor, an eye clinic, or a facial therapist can show you in about two minutes. Ask them. It is a completely reasonable thing to ask for, and they would far rather show you now than treat a corneal ulcer later.
Moisture chambers and patches
A moisture chamber is a clear shield that seals around the eye and traps humidity against it, rather than pressing on it. Some people find them much more comfortable than tape, especially over weeks. Some improvise with cling film taped at the edges, though a purpose-made one is better if you can get hold of one.
One thing worth being clear about: a plain eye patch is not the same thing. A soft patch pressed against an eye that is still open underneath can rub the cornea every time you move. If you are using anything over the eye, the eye needs to be closed and protected underneath it. Ask your clinician what is appropriate for you rather than buying the first thing that appears in a search.
Sunglasses and wind
Wind, air conditioning, car vents, dust and screens all dry the eye faster. Wraparound sunglasses outdoors are genuinely useful, not vanity. And if you can angle the car vents away from your face, do.
What this actually feels like
Nobody mentions that taping your eye shut feels ridiculous the first few nights. It feels medieval. You will feel self-conscious about it, even alone in your own bedroom, and there is something particularly bleak about doing it night after night when nothing else seems to be improving.
Do it anyway. Of all the things you will do during Bell’s palsy, this is the one with the clearest payoff, and it is the one your future self will be most glad about. Everything else is patience. This is the part you actually control.
When to get help quickly
Please contact a doctor or eye specialist the same day if:
- Your eye is red, especially if it is getting redder.
- Your vision changes, blurs, or does not clear after blinking or ointment.
- It hurts, or feels like something is in it.
- You are not managing to keep it protected overnight, for any reason.
And ask for a referral to an eye specialist if your eye is not closing after a few weeks. Prolonged exposure deserves proper eyes on it, not just a leaflet.
The short version
- An eye that will not close cannot protect itself.
- Drops through the day, far more often than feels necessary.
- Ointment and a proper seal at night, and ask someone to show you how.
- It not hurting does not mean it is fine.
- Red, blurred, or painful means today, not next week.
Everything else about Bell’s palsy will most likely resolve with time. This is the part where a few weeks of diligence protects something you do not get back. It is worth the fuss.
Sources
The clinical statements here, including the role of orbicularis oculi and the facial nerve, lagophthalmos, reduced corneal sensation in a proportion of patients, and the exposure risk to the cornea, reflect consensus reported by sources including the NHS, Mayo Clinic, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
This article is educational and is not a substitute for advice about your own eye. Please do not start taping without being shown how by someone qualified. It is scheduled for clinical review.
Common questions
Why won't my eye close with Bell's palsy?
The facial nerve controls the muscle that closes your eyelid, called orbicularis oculi. When that nerve is inflamed and not conducting properly, the muscle cannot contract, so the lid will not come down. The muscle that opens your eye is driven by a different nerve entirely, which is unaffected, and that is why the eye stays open rather than simply going still. The medical name for an eye that cannot fully close is lagophthalmos.
Do I really need to tape my eye shut at night?
If your eye does not fully close, then something has to protect it overnight, and taping is the most common way. While you sleep you are not blinking, not producing many tears, and not aware of what is happening, which makes the small hours the highest-risk window for your cornea. Ointment plus taping, or a moisture chamber, are the usual approaches. Please ask your doctor or an eye specialist to show you the technique before you start, because taping badly can be worse than not taping at all.
My eye doesn't hurt, so is it fine?
Not necessarily, and this is the single most important thing on this page. A proportion of people with Bell's palsy also have reduced sensation in the cornea, because nearby nerve function is affected too. That means damage can be developing without the pain that would normally warn you. A comfortable eye is not proof of a healthy eye. Judge by redness, vision changes, and whether the eye is being properly protected, rather than by whether it hurts.
What eye drops should I use for Bell's palsy?
Preservative-free artificial tears are what most clinicians suggest for daytime use, because you will be using them often and preservatives can irritate the eye with frequent use. Overnight, a thicker lubricating ointment is usually preferred because it lasts for hours, though it does blur vision, which is exactly why it suits sleeping. Your pharmacist or doctor can point you to specific products, and it is worth asking rather than guessing, since availability varies by country.
When can I stop taping my eye at night?
When your eye closes fully and reliably on its own, and ideally when someone qualified has confirmed it. The temptation is to stop as soon as the lid mostly comes down, but a small gap still leaves the cornea exposed all night. Ask your doctor or optometrist to check rather than deciding on your own. There is no prize for stopping early, and the risk sits entirely on one side of that decision.
How do you keep your eye closed with Bell's palsy?
Overnight, with a lubricating ointment and a proper seal, which usually means surgical tape or a moisture chamber. Please ask your doctor, eye clinic or facial therapist to show you the taping technique rather than improvising, because badly placed tape can rub the cornea and cause the exact injury you are trying to prevent. Through the day, frequent preservative-free artificial tears do the job your blink would normally do.
How long does it take for the eye to recover from Bell's palsy?
Eye closure usually returns alongside the rest of your facial movement, so for most people that means within three to six months, often with partial closure returning much earlier. What matters is that you protect it for the entire time it is not closing fully, however long that is. Do not stop taping the moment the lid mostly comes down, because a small gap still leaves the cornea exposed all night. Ask an optometrist or doctor to confirm before you stop.