Sunken appearance of the eye following an eye injury indicates which fracture?

• A. Orbital Floor Fracture
• B. Zygomatic Arch Fracture
• C. Blowout Fracture of the Orbit
• D. Orbital Roof Fracture

Answer: (C)

Sunken appearance after an eye injury points to enophthalmos caused by a blowout fracture of the orbit. A blunt impact spikes intraorbital pressure and typically fractures the thin orbital floor (sometimes the medial wall) while the orbital rim stays intact. The contents of the orbit—fat and the inferior rectus muscle—can herniate into the maxillary sinus, increasing space behind the eye and pulling the globe backward. That posterior displacement is what creates the sunken look and may be accompanied by diplopia from impaired extraocular muscle movement. Other facial fractures affect different bones and structures, so they don’t produce the characteristic sunken globe as consistently as a blowout fracture involving the orbital floor.