What it means
Cranial nerve VII. It controls the muscles used to smile, frown, close the eyes and puff the cheeks, and it also carries taste from the front two-thirds of the tongue and helps make tears and saliva. Damage to it, as in Bell palsy, makes one side of the face droop and stops the eye on that side from closing fully.
For the nurse
To test it, ask the client to raise the eyebrows, close the eyes tightly, smile and puff out the cheeks, and compare both sides. A client whose eye does not close needs eye drops and protection to keep the cornea from drying.
At a glance
| Abbreviations | CN VII |
|---|---|
| Spanish | nervio facial |
Related terms
peripheral nervous system
All the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, which link them to the rest of the body.
cranial nerve
One of the 12 pairs of nerves that come straight from the brain and brainstem rather than the spinal cord.
Bell palsy
Sudden weakness or loss of movement on one side of the face, from a problem with the facial nerve.