Speech agnosia
Speech agnosia, or auditory verbal agnosia, refers to "an inability to comprehend spoken words despite intact hearing, speech production and reading ability". Patients report that they hear sounds being produced, but that the sounds are fundamentally unrecognizable or untranslatable. EXAMINER: What did you eat for breakfast? PATIENT: Breakfast, breakfast, it sounds familiar but it doesnt speak to me. (Obler & Gjerlow 1999:45)Despite an inability to process what the speaker is saying, some patients have been reported to recognize certain characteristic information about the speakers voice (such as being a man or woman). Causes
Agnosia can result from strokes, dementia, or other neurological disorders. It may also be trauma-induced by a head injury, brain infection, or hereditary. Additionally, some forms of agnosia may be the result of developmental disorders. Damage causing agnosia usually occurs in either the occipital or parietal lobes of the brain. Although one modality may be affected, cognitive abilities in other areas are preserved.Patients who experience dramatic recovery from blindness experience significant to total agnosia.The effect of damage to the superior temporal sulcus is consistent with several types of neurolinguistic deficiencies, and some contend that agnosia is one of them. The superior temporal sulcus is vital for speech comprehension because the region is highly involved with the lexical interface. According to the 1985 TRACE II Model, the lexical interface associates sound waves (phonemes) with morphological features to produce meaningful words. This association process is accomplished by lateral inhibition/excitement of certain words within an individuals lexicon (vocabulary).
Physiological inability to close the eyelids during sleep (nocturnal lagophthalmos) may also cause exposure keratopathy. Mechanical causes
Chemical or thermal burns to eyelids or conjunctiva, ocular cicatricial pemphigoid, or symblepharon may cause incomplete or inadequate eyelid closure. Exophthalmos
Exophthalmos  is the unilateral or bilateral bulging of the eye anteriorly out of the orbit causing increased exposure of cornea. It may be seen in many conditions like Graves ophthalmopathy, Orbital cellulitis, Orbital pseudotumor etc. Surgical
A weak bell phenomenon may result in exposure keratopathy after ptosis surgery. Postoperative lagophthalmos following blepharoplasty is another common cause of secondary exposure keratopathy. Diagnosis
Fluorescein staining may be used to detect for epithelial defects, corneal infection or perforation of the cornea. Tear break-up time and ocular protection index assessment can be done to reveal dry eye. Exophthalmometry can be used to measure degree of exophthalmos. Prevention
If increased corneal exposure is detected, several preventive measures can be done to prevent keratitis. Aritificial eye drops and eye ointments may be used to keep the eyes moist. Since frequent use of eye drops with preservatives can promote inflammation, it is better to choose preservative free artificial tear drops and lubricating eye drops. Bandage silicone hydrogel or scleral contact lens may be used to protect cornea. But, risk of infection is more  with bandage contact lens use. Moisture goggles may also be used to protect cornea. Temporary or permanent tarsorrhaphy may be indicated to treat lagophthalmos. Gold weights can be inserted into the upper eyelid to treat fasial nerve palsy.