Acceptance and willingness of patients with chronic facial nerve palsy for an implantable device that assists with eye closure

Background

Patients with facial nerve palsy often experience lagophthalmos (incomplete eye closure), which can lead to exposure keratitis. The Bionic Lid Implant for Natural Eye Closure (BLINC) is a medical device designed to mimic the more natural blink kinetics than traditional lid loading techniques.

Aims

This study aimed to evaluate potential factors that might influence the design of the BLINC device and willingness of participant to undergo the implant placement surgery.

Methods

Patients attending a multidisciplinary facial nerve clinic were invited to complete a survey addressing patient acceptance of the BLINC device implantation.

Results

Seventy-two patients were mailed the survey, of which 50 returned completed surveys (69%). The most important factor identified by participants was the device function (81% ranked as very important) and the least important factor was cost (16% ranked as very important). Median acceptable device function time was 5 years (range 1–10 years). Ten participants (20%) indicated willingness to be the first to trial BLINC. Women were more likely to rate visual appearance as important (OR 3.32, CI 1.14–9.62, p = 0.028), and less likely to rate user friendliness as important (OR 0.16, CI 0.04–0.52, p = 0.0021). Older participants were more likely to rate the length of recovery period as important (OR 1.04, CI 1.01–1.08, p = 0.006). Participants with complete eye closure were less likely to be willing to trial the implant (OR 0.08, CI 0.00–0.53, p = 0.006, whilst patients with eye irritation were more willing to trial the implant (OR 7.20, CI 1.12–142, p = 0.036).

Conclusion

Certain patient demographics impact patient aesthetic and functional preferences and the willingness to trial the BLINC device.