eye disorders
How To Do Lateral Canthotomy
Indications for Lateral Canthotomy
 Orbital compartment syndrome (OCS), an ophthalmologic emergency, which manifests with rapid, progressive vision loss, increased intraocular pressure, decreased extraocular motility, and pain in a patient with recent eye/orbital trauma or surgery Blunt facial trauma (see Eye Contusions and Lacerations ) may cause retrobulbar hematoma or severe edema surrounding the eyeball, either of which can increase intraorbital pressure. Because the eye is constrained by the lids and the orbit, increased intraorbital pressure can cause intraocular pressure to rise rapidly and compress the optic nerve and its vascular supply. Untreated, this increased pressure causes permanent vision loss (OCS). Lateral canthotomy and cantholysis are done immediately to relieve intraorbital pressure and preserve vision if signs indicate OCS. 