Traumatic dislocation of the globe into the maxillary sinus with early recovery of visual acuity: Case report and review of the literature on management

Abstract

Traumatic orbital fracture with prolapse of the globe into the paranasal sinuses is very rare. The visual prognosis is poor, and the medical and surgical management is still a topic of debate. We herein describe an extremely rare case of globe dislocation into the left maxillary sinus with complete recovery of visual acuity. A 67-year-old man presented with an isolated left-sided orbital floor fracture with dislocation of the globe into the maxillary sinus. The visual acuity was no light perception in his left eye. He was immediately taken to the operating room for globe repositioning and orbital floor reconstruction. The spectacular visual recovery allowed a return to normal visual acuity. We summarize the clinical outcomes of traumatic globe dislocations between 1971 and 2023 and suggest treatment guidelines. Among the 31 cases reported in the literature, 26 (83.9%) were into the maxillary sinus (vs. ethmoid), of which only 3 (11.5%) had a complete recovery of visual acuity.