Normative data for hertel exophthalmometry in a normal adult black population

Ocular protrusion data were obtained on 309 black adults using a Hertel exophthalmometer. The mean protrusion value for black men and women was 18.20 and 17.46 mm, respectively. The upper limit of normal was 24.14 and 22.74 mm for males and females, respectively. The differences between base measurement and mean protrusion values of black men and women were significantly different (p less than 0.015). These data are compared with those of adult white subjects and show that blacks have a higher range of normal than whites. The data indicate that the published upper limit of normal (21 mm) for exophthalmos is not appropriate for adult black patients.