Orbital vicarious menstruation

Prachi Dua1, Renelle Pointdujour, Isaac Reich

  • 1Department of Ophthalmology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.

A 31-year-old African-American woman with a medical history of well-controlled hypertension sought treatment for recurrent, monthly, unilateral orbital and subconjunctival hemorrhage for 1 year. The episodes were cyclical and coincided with the timing of her menstrual cycle. Examination findings included right periorbital fullness and subconjunctival hemorrhage. Extensive serologic and radiographic workup ruled out other potential causes of recurrent orbital hemorrhage. The patient was diagnosed with orbital vicarious menstruation and treated with oral contraceptive pills, with marked clinical improvement.

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