A news anchor has revealed a shocking diagnosis he received after viewers expressed their concerns to him. As reported by Yahoo!News, Iskhandar Razak of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation had appeared to have a drooped face during a news report.
A clip of him presenting the weather on the channel posted onto social media on September 4 went viral. There, viewers asked about whether he was okay.
"I'm worried about your eye, your right eye isn't blinking as well as the other one," one commenter wrote.
Another post, dated September 6, also showed the news anchor with half of his face paralyzed.
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The News Anchor Updated Viewers
He updated worried viewers about his condition recently because of the concern. "Good news," he explained, "It's not a stroke, but as you can see my face isn't really reacting as it normally would."
He went on to thank everyone who was worried about him, as well as those he had contacted for help in Alfred Hospital, Melbourne.
He then explained his condition wasn't "too serious", and that the paralyzed face wasn't accompanied by any "new neurological problems."
He then shared his diagnosis - Bell's palsy, as well as an inflammation of the ear nerve. He said that he was able to "force" his eye to shut on set, as if blinking, but some "keen-eyed" viewers managed to spot something was up.
"Hopefully this will sort itself out with medication in a few weeks top," he concluded. "If you see me on the streets with an eye patch, you know why."
What is Bell's Palsy?
According to the Mayo Clinic, Bell's palsy refers to sudden weakness in the facial muscles on one side. Its cause is often unknown, but experts have hypothesized that it's caused by the swelling of a nerve.
As the news anchor said, it normally clears up with effective medication within a few weeks of noticing the symptoms. However, the Clinic notes that "a small number of people continue to have some Bell's palsy symptoms for life", and that "rarely, Bell's palsy occurs more than once."
In any case, we hope that he feels better soon!
