I woke up and my right eye was unusually swollen, what is it.

My mother is 70 years old and she woke up one morning and the right side of her face was slightly swollen and her eye closed. It's been a week and the eye is still closed. What could be the cause?

• Answer:

  First, some questions: Is she on any medication? If so -- what? Is her face swollen, or is it slack and it just looks swollen? When she tries to open her eye, does it try to open but cant due to swelling? Or does it not move at all? Is there any other weakness or failure to feel or move anywhere else on that side of her body? Yes to any of these may indicate the possibility of a stroke. If so, don't panic, but DO get this looked at immediately. The's no home remedy for that, and the first aid is basically to drive them to a hospital. If you think it might be a stroke, call 911. See the link for stroke symptoms. Next, is there evidence of an insect bite? While very rare, spiders can do this sort of thing. Is the swelling from trauma? Did she accidentally bump into something and forget to mention it? Is the swelling hot to the touch, or normal? Is the skin tight (like a drum head) or normal? If this is the result of a trauma or bump, you can ice pack it until it goes away. Did she mention any tingling or weakness before this? Rubbery legs? These could be signs of Guillain-Barré syndrome -- scary but treatable and usually 100% reversible. If the eye looks like a trauma, and everything else is getting better, you might conisder observing her closely for a day or so. However, if this isn't gone by tomorrow, I'd get her into your doc tomorrow. If they can't schedule her fast enough, go to an ER. Of all the things this can be, most aren't horriffic, so it's very possible eveything is alright. However, a very small percentage of ailments can cause more serious effects, and it's for those that I strongly suggest a real doc takes a look at her very soon.