I've posted this before, in another section of the forum.

Has anyone out there had Horner's Syndrome as a result of nerve injury during a neck dissection? It gives one a droopy, red, watery eye. I was unfortunate enough to have this happen to me. In the larger scope of things, this is grossly un=important. However, it does restrict my vision and makes me self-conscious. I have found that using eye drops like Visine LR temporarily provides stimulation to the injured nerve and causes the eyelid to be able to lift itself. Now, however, I have developed nasal stuffiness that I fear is a rebound effect from the use of the eye drops.

I will likely have some surgery this year to take a tuck in the lifter muscles of the lid. I just wanted to know how many others have had this problem.

There are many, many persons on this forum who have had neck dissections, and nobody has ever mentioned having this problem afterward. It is driving me crazy.

Colleen, I have not heard of anyone here with that problem. Most likely unrelated, since treatment I have one eye that I cannot open if I wake up before I am fully rested. Once I use my finger to lift the lid, all is fine. That lid also droops when I am very tired. This is new since I finished treatment, but has been going on for five years, so I figure it is permanent. However, it is on the opposite side of the neck dissection so I have blamed the rad.

Perhaps by bringing this to the top, someone with helpful information will see it.

Joanna, you obviously have some weakness of the muscles that lift your lid, or some stretching...or perhaps scarring....of the ligaments that lift the lid. The drooping of the eyelid, no matter what the cause, is called "ptosis." If/when it bothers you too much, an oculoplastic surgeon can fix it.

Here's something that is interesting that you can try. I would like to know if it has any effect for you, though your problem is not constant like mine: I accidentally discovered that Visine LR eyedrops will temporarily stimulate the nerve that activates the lifting muscles of the lid, and for 6-7 hours, my eye will be normal. It is a great comfort. The downside is that after several days of using the drops, I develop rebound, just like using Afrin nasal spray, since the chemical is the same. My eye is worse when I wake up, and I sometimes develop an annoying nasal stuffiness, since the eye ducts and the nose are closely connected. But if I want to look normal and see normally, I can use the drops.

Hello,

I had acdf surgery after a car accident and acquired Horner's Syndrome. I understand what you are going through, particularly the irritating symptoms and loss of vision. By far, I actually think the worst of it is the comments people make and how self conscious they make me...I am in Management, and my face and eyes are what people focus on. Horner's Syndrome is apparently a much more frequent complication of neck surgery than doctors care to admit. They say it is a "rare complication"...<2%, however, I find more and more blogs about the relation between the two much too often to believe it is less than a 2% complication. Hang in there and remember that your self confidence comes from within...harder said than done, I know.