An orbital fracture is a serious personal injury that can permanently affect a victim’s eye and vision. If you or somebody close to you suffered an orbital fracture in an accident anywhere in California, you’ll want to arrange for a free and no-obligation consultation with a dedicated and effective personal injury lawyer.
Contact your local attorneys at Maison Law today.
What is the Eye Orbit?
The orbit is the depression or socket in the skull where the eye is located. Eye orbits help to protect an eye from trauma, but like any bone, an orbit can be fractured. Some common types of accidents that involve orbital fractures include car, motorcycle and bicycle accidents, trip-and-falls, construction accidents and contact sports.
Types of Orbital Fractures
Orbital fractures are caused by trauma to the face. According to Temple Health, there are three types of orbital fractures. Those follow:
- Orbital Rim Fracture: These affect the somewhat thicker bone on the outer edge of an eye’s socket. This fracture can cause secondary damage to the optic nerve or even the brain.
- Blowout Fracture: This injury involves a break of the thinner and inner wall of an eye’s socket. With a blowout fracture, a muscle might become trapped and cause impaired vision.
- Floor Fracture: Often suffered when falling forward, this fracture pushes bone from the orbital floor downward. This fracture might also cause damage to the optic nerve along with muscle entrapment complications.
Orbital Fracture Symptoms
The symptoms of an orbital fracture are going to differ, depending on its severity and the type of fracture.t Some common symptoms follow:
- Bruising around the affected eye.
- Double vision.
- Blood on the eyeball, a sunken eyeball and decreased range of motion of an eyeball.
- Facial numbness from nerve damage.
- Pain and swelling.
Treatment of Orbital Fractures
For a small and routine orbital fracture that doesn’t affect an eye’s movement, a doctor might recommend icing it, using decongestants and taking antibiotics to prevent infection. Patients might even be told not to try and blow their nose for a few days. As per the American Academy of Ophthalmology, more serious fracture will like result in a referral to an oculoplastic surgeon who has a specialty in treating eye injuries. Surgery might be needed for one of the following reasons:
- Removal of fragments of bone.
- To free trapped eye muscles and relieve double vision.
- To restore the natural structure of the eye socket if the fracture is sunken in.
- To repair other deformities that affect a victim’s appearance.
Orbital Fracture Healing Time
The visible signs of an orbital fracture like discoloration and swelling usually start to go down in a week to 10 days from the date of the injury. It’s the fractures that take considerably longer to heal though. If surgery is needed, a doctor might allow some time to allow swelling to go down. After surgery, recovery time is about three weeks for a return to unrestricted activity.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer
After suffering an orbital fracture, you might be eligible for compensation for your injuries and damages. Legal options are available that will require the involvement of a talented and experienced California personal injury attorney. You can contact us for a free consultation and case review, and after hearing how your orbital fracture occurred and how you’ve been affected by it, Maison Law can advise and assist you in pursuing compensation for your injuries and damages. Upon being retained to represent you, our goal will be to obtain the maximum compensation that you deserve. Contact us as soon as possible for that consultation after suffering an orbital fracture.
