The orbit is the bony socket that holds and protects the eye. Its walls are thin. So a hit to the eye can crack the floor or the inner wall. Doctors call this a blowout fracture. Where the nose meets the eyes, several small bones join. This area is the naso-orbito-ethmoid, or NOE. A heavy hit can move these bones.

Why it matters

  • Vision comes first. The team checks the eye with care before other steps.
  • Double vision can happen. This is because a muscle can get trapped, or the eye can sink a little.
  • NOE injuries can flatten the top of the nose. They can also make the gap between the eyes wider if the surgeon does not repair them.

How surgeons treat it

A small, stable break may only need checks. If the eye loses its support, or a muscle is trapped, the surgeon rebuilds the wall of the socket. A thin implantA part that a surgeon puts in the body to replace or support a missing or damaged part. sometimes holds the wall. The surgeon also fixes the bones at the top of the nose. The cuts are hidden.

The same eye sockets with a thin titanium mesh laid across each floor to rebuild it, held by small screws.A skull where the thin floor of each eye socket is broken and pushed down (a blowout fracture).FracturedRepaired with plate
Drag to compare. Illustration only, pending clinical review.

See how plates and screws fix bone.