Retrobulbar Hemorrhage: A Critique

Author Info

Adam Hauch Thomas L. Hauch

Corresponding Author

Adam Hauch
Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, UC San Diego, San Diego, CA

A B S T R A C T

Introduction: Retrobulbar hemorrhage is a rare, progressive, sight-threatening emergency. Standardized treatment algorithms for it exist in the literature; however, their efficiency is uninterpretable in most nonophthalmic settings. This paper reviews retrobulbar bleeding, the pathophysiology of vision loss, and the therapeutic modalities and their efficacy in addressing such visual damage. Case Report: We present the unfortunate case of an 82-year-old male with coronary artery disease on anticoagulants who presented for a vitrectomy for a vitreous hemorrhage secondary to eccentric disciform degeneration under general anesthetic with an accompanying retrobulbar block. He subsequently developed a retrobulbar hemorrhage at some point post-operatively. He presented to his surgeon 18-hours after the operation with no light perception on ophthalmologic examination as well as facial ecchymosis and proptosis. Efforts to reduce his intraocular pressure were successful, but there was no return of vision. Conclusion: Retrobulbar hemorrhage can be a devastating visual event. Standardized treatment algorithms have been described, however, the effectiveness or need of such treatments can only best be evaluated by an ophthalmologist and are often performed too late to provide meaningful recovery.

Article Info

Article Type

Case Report

Publication history

Received: Thu 21, Mar 2019
Accepted: Tue 02, Apr 2019
Published: Tue 09, Apr 2019

Copyright

© 2023 Adam Hauch. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository.
DOI: 10.31487/j.SCR.2019.02.014