Orbital Fracture Diagnosis and Treatment
How Are Orbital Fractures Treated?
In many cases, orbital fractures do not need to be treated with surgery. If an orbital fracture is small, your ophthalmologist may recommend placing ice packs on the area to reduce swelling and allow the eye socket to heal on its own over time. Sometimes, antibiotics and decongestants are prescribed as well. People with an orbital fracture should avoid blowing their nose for a while as they heal. An orbital fracture is more severe when it keeps the eye from moving properly, causes double vision, or has repositioned the eyeball in its socket. In this case, the ophthalmologist may refer the patient to an oculoplastic surgeon (a specially trained ophthalmologist) for surgery.
In many situations, the oculoplastic surgeon will choose to wait for some time to see how the healing process goes before doing surgery. Waiting until the swelling goes down before surgery often leads to better outcomes. If the orbital fracture symptoms go away, it may be possible to avoid having surgery and any possible related complications.
An ophthalmologist is a physician and surgeon who is specifically trained to examine the eye after injury and assess the best treatment plan.