Ex- and Enophthalmos: General Aspects

Abstract

Exophthalmos and enophthalmos result from a discrepancy between the bony orbital cavity and its soft tissue contents. Exophthalmos arises when the orbital soft tissues enlarge or neoplasms occupy orbital space. Exophthalmos is more frequent than enophthalmos. Well-known causes of exophthalmos are Graves’ orbitopathy, orbital tumors, vascular lesions, and inflammatory diseases of the orbit. An orbital fracture causes a larger than normal orbital cavity and results—when there is no increase of the soft tissues—in an enophthalmos. Other causes of enophthalmos are i.e. silent sinus syndrome, orbital varix, and sclerosing metastasis of a mammary carcinoma.