Eye Socket Injury Lawyer
Serving Injury Victims Nationwide
What is an Eye Socket Injury?
Described as the bony cup that surrounds and protects the eye, they eye
socket is often susceptible to injury because it is the first area of
the skull that protrudes furthest from the face. Although the rim of the
socket is reasonable thick, in some places around the eyes, the bone is
extremely thin and can be easily broken.
Nearly 2.5 million traumatic eye injuries occur each year. Many of them
involve eye socket fractures. The majority of these injuries are as the
result of an
automobile accident or a sports-related injury, but home accidents are also a major cause
– often by fixing, repairing or cleaning household items. Men suffer
from traumatic eye injuries far more than women, and the most frequent
place of injury is in or near the home.
Three types of eye fracture:
- Orbital rim fracture
- Orbital floor fracture
- Direct Orbital Floor Fracture
Orbital Rim Fracture
An orbital rim fracture occurs when an object directly impacts the face.
Since this type of injury assumes tremendous force, other areas of the
head are also typically present in an accident or other trauma. The optic
nerve (responsible for vision) may be affected. Eye muscles as well as
nerves that serve the forehead and cheek may be damaged. The sinuses,
tear ducts and other areas may also suffer damage – not to mention
the possibility of brain damage.
Two types of orbital rim fractures exist: Frontal Bone Fracture and Zygomatic
fracture. A frontal bone fracture – also known as a frontal sinus
fracture – is a trauma to the upper edge of the eye rim, usually
affecting the bones in the forehead, called the skull frontal bone. A
zygomatic fracture is a trauma to the lower edge of the eye rim. Since
it’s part of the cheekbone, it has other complication, not the least
of which is sinus injury.
Indirect orbital floor fracture
Also known as a ‘blowout fracture, an indirect orbital floor fracture
occurs when the bony rim of the eye remains intact, but the thin floor
of the eye socket is cracked or broken. The break may then entangle muscles
of the eyes and surrounding nerves or structures, stopping the eye from
moving normally. Indirect orbital floor fractures are typically caused
by an impact to the front of the eye from something much broader than
the eye opening itself. Car crashes – where the victim strikes the
dashboard – often produce indirect orbital floor fractures.
Direct orbital floor fracture
If an injury victim suffers an orbital rim fracture that is severe enough
to cause a fracture in the eye socket floor, the resulting injury is then
called a direct orbital floor fracture. This is the most threatening and
the most sever type of eye socket injury.
Symptoms or Eye Socket Injury
Depending on the location and severity of the fracture, symptoms include:
- Double vision, decreased vision or blurry vision
- Black eye or eyes
- Bleeding in the whites of the eyes
- Difficulty looking up, down, right or left
- Bulging eyes
- Abnormal eye position
- Numbness in the eyelids, cheek, forehead, upper lip or upper teeth
- Puffiness caused by air under the skin
- Deformity of the forehead or cheek
Dealing With Eye Socket Injury
Often the symptoms of eye-socket injury will begin to subside within a
week or so. But fractured bones take much longer to heal. And if your
symptoms are not getting better, it may be a worse condition than originally
suspected.
The treatment of an eye socket injury depends on the exactly where and
how sever it is. For example, a small, uncomplicated, blowout fracture
that does not affect the movement of your eye, your doctor may simply
give you orders to ice the affected area. Often the doctor can even adjust
your eye in his office.
But if the fracture is more severe, you may have to call in a plastic and
reconstructive surgeon who specializes in treating eye injuries. You may
have to have bone fragments removed; or trapped muscles may have to be
surgically untangled. These, among other fixes, will possibly restore
normal vision, restore the normal structure of the eye socket, and fix
any deformities caused by other fractures.
Obviously, some of these may problems may be not be medically corrected.
And financially, you may have a hard road ahead. Fortunately, you may
have recourse. Having an attorney with a focus inhead injury litigation is critical in providing you the opportunity to get the financial compensation
you deserve. You will not pay a thing unless you win your lawsuit. If
you win or settle your lawsuit, The Doan Law Firm will charge a percentage
of the compensation amount, leaving you free from the costs of the actual
court case.
The Doan Law Firm can assist in determining damages owed you after a
head injury. The Doan Law Firm knows that although accidents don’t wait for
daylight hours to happen. However, we’re available to answer your
phone call any time, day or night, at (800) 349-0000. Contact our offices today for a free case evaluation.