Complications
Post-surgical emphysema around the eye is common following nose blowing. Patients are advised to avoid blowing their nose for 2 weeks after surgery.
An uncommon, vision-threatening complication of orbit and eyelid surgery. Retrobulbar haemorrhage causes increased intraorbital pressure and pressure on the accompanying vessels of the optic nerve, decreasing blood flow and thus leading to an ischaemic optic neuritis.
Management is pharmacological plus surgical decompression. Treatment includes intravenous corticosteroids such as dexamethasone or hydrocortisone, mannitol, and acetazolamide to decrease aqueous humour volume. Patient should be prepared for immediate surgical decompression. If there is any delay, the patient may benefit from lateral canthotomy and cantholysis in the emergency department under local anaesthetic.[25][30]
May result from vagal stimulation (bradycardia progressing to worse bradycardia, asystole, cardiopulmonary arrest, and death).
Orbital cellulitis is a rare but serious complication of orbital fractures. Routine antibiotic prophylaxis has not been proven to prevent orbital cellulitis or abscess formation. Surgery may be required in some patients to drain orbital abscess, or to drain the paranasal sinuses in non-resolving cellulitis.[31]
In the case of operated or conservative management, persistent or even permanent diplopia remains a potential adverse outcome. Initial surgical intervention aims to correct this.
The orbital medial wall is particularly difficult to reconstruct accurately and may require secondary surgery, sometimes with custom-made prosthesis for the bony defect.
Due to entrapped soft tissues leading to fibrosis, there may be ocular muscle damage and cranial nerve injury.
Due to abnormal globe position.
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