Optometry Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Optometry, including details on myopia, optometric practice, therapy.

Short- and long-term vertical diplopia secondary to blunt trauma.

Turnbull PR, Vingrys AJ, Kalloniatis M

Department of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.

This report describes the short- and long-term ocular signs and symptoms of a patient with an orbital blow-out fracture and discusses the differential diagnosis of vertical diplopia. A blow-out fracture occurs when blunt trauma is applied either directly to the eyeball itself or the orbital rim and usually results in a fracture of the orbital floor with consequential excavation and entrapment of orbital contents in the fracture. Vertical diplopia is a common presenting symptom for a blow-out fracture of the orbit but careful considerations should be given to other potential conditions leading to such diplopia. A patient is presented who suffered a blow-out fracture almost a decade earlier, secondary to blunt trauma to the globe. The clinical findings are provided immediately after the trauma, post-surgery and during a recent ocular examination.

Published 25 October 2007 in Clin Exp Optom, 90(6): 457-62.
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