Leading Bollywood actor Salman Khan is to have surgery in the United States to correct a facial nerve disorder that leaves him in excruciating pain, he said in an article published on Friday. The 45-year-old star of blockbuster films like 'Dabangg' (Fearless) wrote in the Hindustan Times newspaper that he had been prescribed strong medication to alleviate the symptoms, which first began four years ago.

But the drugs were ineffective and he has been in constant agony for the last year, leaving him unable to eat or drink anything cold. "The pain is a bit too much now. So I'm going to the US to get it fixed," he wrote in the English-language daily. "Now, we're getting down to something we should have done a long time ago -- taking care of it." Doctors diagnosed Khan with trigeminal neuralgia, a nerve disorder caused by pressure on the nerve carrying sensations from the brain to the face, leading to stabbing or electric shock-like pain. Khan said that tests, including an MRI scan, also identified an aneurysm, which caused a swelling of the blood vessels in the brain.

"That has a chance of bleeding and could be fatal. But they're just scaring me," he added. Trigeminal neuralgia is thought to be associated with ageing. Pain is localised in one part of the face, usually the eye, cheek or jaw and can make everyday tasks like eating or brushing teeth excruciating.

With pain in his jaw, it once took him 90 minutes to eat an omelette, Khan said. Tests had determined the condition was caused by veins wrapped around the nerve, he added. The surgery means he will miss the release of his new film "Bodyguard" on August 31, which also stars Kareena Kapoor.