Q: I am 19 years old and delivered a baby girl 4 months ago. When I was 2 years old, I had severe cold and fever which weakened the left side of my face and lead to a partial paralysis. I took treatment and my face was cured up to 95 percent. But from the past one month I am facing some vision problems, which makes me to feel that the floor or any object I am looking at, is rising to few inches and goes back. I went to eye specialist and he said that the power and the retina is good and no spectacles are required. But since I had squint on the left eye and improper eye ball and muscle movement, he directed me to take a MRI scan of the brain. The clinical notes he gave is lateral rectus paresis and 7th in palsy on left side. Should I consult a neurologist before taking MRI?

A:Facial-nerve paralysis or Bell palsy is an acute paralysis of the nerve usually due to an unknown cause. It affects only one side and the paralysis gradually resolves over time in 80-90% of cases. Partial paralysis of the lateral rectus muscle of the eye may be due to a VI cranial nerve palsy, or it may be due to a lesion in the brainstem. It causes a squint with double vision. The wearing of a corrective prism or an injection of botulinum toxin may be a useful remedy for milder cases of lateral rectus palsy. Surgery is done in severe cases, or mild cases in which there is no improvement after treatment for 6 months. A consultation with the neurologist will be in order and you should get the MRI done.