Abel proposed that fossil skulls of Pleistocene dwarf elephants, commonly found in coastal caves of Italy and Greece, may have given rise to the Polyphemus story. Abel suggested that the large, central nasal cavity (for the trunk) in the skull might have been interpreted as a large single eye-socket.Cyclopia, a rare birth defect, can result in foetuses which have a single eye. Although the possibility has been raised of a link between this deformity and the myth of the one-eyed Cyclopes, in such cases, the eye is below the nose—rather than above as in ancient Greek depictions.As noted above, Walter Burkert sees the possibility of the Hesiodic Cyclopes having ancient smith guilds as their basis. See also
Polyphemus § Possible origins, for stories of other cyclopian giants similar to the story of Polyphemus encounter with Odysseus
List of one-eyed creatures in mythology and fiction

Notes
References
Apollodorus, Apollodorus, The Library, with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Bakker, Egbert J., The Meaning of Meat and the Structure of the Odyssey,  Cambridge University Press, 2013. ISBN 978-0-521-11120-1. Bremmer, J.N. (1987). Odysseus versus the Cyclops, in Myth and Symbol. The Norwegian Institute. Burkert, Walter (1982). Structure and History in Greek Mythology and Ritual. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-04770-9. Burkert, Walter (1991). Greek Religion. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-631-15624-6. Caldwell, Richard, Hesiods Theogony, Focus Publishing/R. Pullins Company (1987). ISBN 978-0-941051-00-2.
Cerebellar stroke syndrome is a condition in which the circulation to the cerebellum is impaired due to a lesion of the superior cerebellar artery, anterior inferior cerebellar artery or the posterior inferior cerebellar artery.Cardinal signs include vertigo, headache, vomiting, and ataxia. Cerebellar strokes account for only 2-3% of the 600,000 strokes that occur each year in the United States. They are far less common than strokes which occur in the cerebral hemispheres. In recent years mortality rates have decreased due to advancements in health care which include earlier diagnosis through MRI and CT scanning. Advancements have also been made which allow earlier management for common complications of cerebellar stroke such as brainstem compression and hydrocephalus.Research is still needed in the area of cerebellar stroke management; however, several factors may lead to poor outcomes in individuals who have a cerebellar stroke. These factors include:

Declining levels of consciousness
New signs of brainstem involvement
Progressing Hydrocephalus
Stroke to the midline of the cerebellum (a.k.a. the vermis)

References
Further reading
Macdonell, R.A.; Kalnins, R.M. ; Donnan, G.A. (1987). "Cerebellar infarction: Natural history, prognosis, and pathology". Stroke. 18 (5): 849–55. doi:10.1161/01.STR.18.5.849. PMID 3629642. Edlow, J.A. ; Newman-Toker, D.E. ; Savitz, S.I. (2008). "Diagnosis and initial management of cerebellar infarction". The Lancet Neurology. 7 (10): 951–64. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(08)70216-3. PMID 18848314. S2CID 25118582. Norrving, Bo (2014). Oxford Textbook of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease. Oxford University Press. pp. 90–1. ISBN 9780199641208. Nowe, Tim; Jütter, Eric (2014). "Ch. 17: Critical Care of Cerebellar Stroke". In Schwab, Stefan; Hanley, Daniel; Mendelow, A. David (eds.). Critical Care of the Stroke Patient.