An orbital fracture occurs when one of the bones, called the orbit or eye socket, which covers the eyeball breaks. The most common cause of this type of injury is blunt force trauma, which occurs when something strikes the eye very hard.
The majority of patients with any type of facial fracture, including orbital fractures, will experience mild to extreme pain that must be treated. This is because the facial and orbital regions have a relatively high density of sensory pain fibers, causing severe pain symptoms.
Types of Orbital Fractures
All of the bones that cover the eye may be broken or fractured. The following are examples of orbital fractures:
Fracture of the rim of the orbit
The bony outer edges of the eye socket are affected by this injury. Since the rim is made up of thick bone, an injury to this region must be severe enough to cause a fracture. One of the most common causes of this type of fracture is car accidents. If anyone has an orbital rim fracture, they are likely to have other facial injuries, including the optic nerve.
Blowout fracture
A blowout fracture is a crack in the orbit’s or eye socket’s floor or inner wall. A break in the very thin bone that makes up these walls can pinch muscles and other structures around the eye, preventing proper eyeball movement. A blowout fracture is commonly caused by being struck with a baseball or a hand.
Fracture of the orbital floor
If the bones of the orbital rim are pushed back by a blow or trauma, the bones of the eye socket floor buckle inward. The muscles and nerves around the eye may be affected by this fracture, preventing it from moving properly and feeling normal.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of an Orbital Fracture?
The symptoms of an orbital fracture vary depending on the type of fracture and the severity of the injury. Among the signs and symptoms are:
● double vision
● blurry or reduced vision
● black and blue bruising around the eyes
● swelling of the cheeks or the forehead
● swollen under-the-eye skin
● numbness on the side of the face that has been hurt
● a speck of blood in the white of the eye
● difficulty looking to the left, right, up, or down
● cheek that has been flattened
● When you open your mouth, you get a lot of pain in your cheeks
● eyeballs that are bulging or sunken
