Intracranial Displacement of the Eye After Blunt Trauma

Abstract

A 67-year-old man fell from an agricultural vehicle and struck his right eye on a protruding element. Eight hours later, he was brought to the emergency unit of an ophthalmology hospital where examiners could not find the right eye and believed it to have been completely destroyed. However, CT disclosed that the eye, apparently still intact, had been displaced into the anterior cranial fossa through a fracture in the orbital roof. This is the first documentation of such a phenomenon.

Eye inside Out: Endonasal Endoscopic Reposition of Eye from Nose with Complete Vision Regainment

“…All four studies documenting displacement of eye could not regain vision due to optic nerve injury or atrophy. [9][10][11][12] Retinal ischemia due to globe displacement was another cause stated by one of the studies. 12 A normal disc and macula on fundus examination on immediate postoperative day was a positive predictive factor.…”

“…Two research groups have described intracranial displacement of the orbital contents, by a fracture in the roof of the orbit. Though both suggest successful reposition of the eye into its socket, neither could achieve vision 1011. Only one similar case of medial orbital blowout fracture has been documented in which the eye had been displaced into the ethmoid sinus.…”