Which Poser version?

Light-based AO or material-based AO? I have trouble with LBAO. P6 - don't use it. P7 or Pro, maybe if you installed the latest SR. Even then, I get too-deep shadows in crevices just as you noted. If I'm lazy and doing a quicky render, I'll maybe use LBAO, but for total control and best quality I use MBAO.

You didn't mention AO strength. LBAO strength decrease may help. MBAO strength doesn't work at all. You have to manage the strength (deepest shadow intensity) with a Blender node.

Increasing samples may help. You only get moderate results with 3. Much better is 6 or 7. After that only nominal improvement occurs and at quite a render-time cost.

Re the eyelid reflection ... that's a stumper. You mean specular, right? Not reflection like a reflect node, right? Your render here is tiny and I can't make out details - is that really the eyelid, or are we seeing the specular on the cornea through the lashes?

---

Renderosity forum reply notifications are wonky. If I read a follow-up in a thread, but I don't myself reply, then notifications no longer happen AT ALL on that thread. So if I seem to be ignoring a question, that's why. (Updated September 23, 2019)