Enophthalmos is a posterior displacement of the
eye
Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...
ball within the orbit. It is due to either enlargement of the bony orbit and/or reduction of the orbital content, this in relation to each other.
It should not be confused with its opposite,
exophthalmos
Exophthalmos (also called exophthalmus, exophthalmia, proptosis, or exorbitism) is a bulging of the eye anteriorly out of the orbit. Exophthalmos can be either bilateral (as is often seen in Graves' disease) or unilateral (as is often seen in ...
, which is the anterior displacement of the eye.
It may be a
congenital
A birth defect, also known as a congenital disorder, is an abnormal condition that is present at birth regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities c ...
anomaly, or be acquired as a result of
trauma (such as in a blowout fracture of the orbit),
Horner's syndrome
Horner's syndrome, also known as oculosympathetic paresis, is a combination of symptoms that arises when a group of nerves known as the sympathetic trunk is damaged. The signs and symptoms occur on the same side (ipsilateral) as it is a lesion ...
(apparent enophthalmos due to
ptosis
Ptosis (from the Greek: πτῶσις 'falling', 'a fall', 'dropped') refers to droopiness or abnormal downward displacement of a body part or organ. Particular cases include:
* Ptosis (eyelid)
* Ptosis (chin)
* Ptosis (breasts)
* Visceroptosis, ...
),
Marfan syndrome
Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a multi-systemic genetic disorder that affects the connective tissue. Those with the condition tend to be tall and thin, with long arms, legs, fingers, and toes. They also typically have exceptionally flexible joints a ...
,
Duane's syndrome
Duane syndrome is a congenital rare type of strabismus most commonly characterized by the inability of the eye to move outward. The syndrome was first described by ophthalmologists Jakob Stilling (1887) and Siegmund Türk (1896), and subsequently ...
,
silent sinus syndrome or
phthisis bulbi.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Disorders of eyelid, lacrimal system and orbit
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