Joel Embiid’s eye issue explained in latest update on 76ers star

The Philadelphia 76ers were able to shake off the disappointment of their Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks and get right back to work in Game 3, winning by a final score of 125-114.

Veteran big man Joel Embiid led the way, dropping 50 points to help the Sixers get back into the series. However, Embiid's eye has been acting weird this postseason and fans have been wondering why this is.

Embiid revealed the truth on Thursday, confirming that he has been dealing with a mild case of Bell's Palsy. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, this has been bothering Embiid since the Play-In Tournament but he wanted to keep it private to avoid any distractions for the Sixers.

Joel Embiid's blinking issue was caused by Bell's Palsy

Bell's Palsy is a temporary condition, one that can cause muscle on the side of a person's face to become weak or paralyzed. It occurs when a nerve that controls facial muscles becomes inflamed or is injured.

This can ultimately cause those affected to have trouble closing an eyelid. Other symptoms include a drooping eye or mouth or paralysis of an entire half of the face.

Fortunately, Embiid's case appears to be very mild and hasn't affected his play too significantly.

"I think it started a day or two before the Miami game, and I had bad migraines and thought it was nothing," said Embiid. "It's been tough, but I'm not a quitter. Usually, I like to tough it out but for some reasons I ended up having to tell somebody."

Again, despite his condition, Embiid was able to drop 50 points and keep the 76ers' hopes alive as they try to bounce back from their two losses to start the series in New York.

The condition is temporary for the vast majority of patients, with most being able to regain facial functions within a few weeks to six months. But it's obvious that it doesn't appear to be affecting Embiid's play. However, it was significant enough that it was bothering him, and he needed to address it.

Coach Nick Nurse says he is waiting for an update from the medical team to determine next steps for his star center.

"So basically, there's kind of the daily check-in on him, right?" said Nurse. "Just to make sure if he's available or not and that's kind of always the answer that I'm trying to get to. Obviously, he kind of had this, I kind of consider a personal thing and I just was always wondering where he was and, obviously, you know, it's affecting him, but not to the point where he can't see and he can't play, right?"

Embiid's status is up in the air, but if it isn't affecting his play too significantly, he should be good to go for Game 4 on Sunday as the Sixers try and even the series before it heads back to New York for Game 5.