Diplopia in orbital fractures: a simple method to evaluate eye motility.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neurology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Diplopia in orbital floor fractures requires distinguishing entrapment from other causes.
• Accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate electro-oculography (EOG) for detecting and characterizing vertical eye motility and restricted elevation.
• To assess EOG's potential in diagnosing diplopia related to orbital floor fractures.

Main Methods:

• Utilized electronystagmography equipment for eye motility measurements.
• Simulated unilateral mechanical restriction in healthy subjects and compared with patients with diplopia.
• Measured and compared velocity and range of eye motility in both eyes.

Main Results:

• Simulated entrapment showed significant differences in eye motility recordings (p<0.001).
• Patients with diplopia exhibited significantly altered velocity (p<0.05) and range of motility (p<0.05) compared to healthy subjects.
• EOG effectively detected motility differences, even with the restricted eye covered.

Conclusions:

• Electro-oculography is a valuable, objective tool for diagnosing diplopia in orbital floor fractures.
• EOG demonstrates high potential for identifying entrapment and differentiating causes of motility restriction.
• The technique is practical, allowing use of the uninjured eye as a reference for detecting motility discrepancies.