Woman’s Eye Swells To the Size of a Golf Ball After She Does THIS

31 Oct, 2015 by Sierra Marlee

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Who would have guessed that something as simple as blowing your nose would be bad for your health?

A woman’s eye swelled to the size of a golf ball after she blew her nose too forcefully.

Doctors said if left untreated such an injury can cause blindness as it can cause pressure to build up in the eye, damaging the optic nerve.

The 32-year-old woman, who remains unnamed, arrived at the emergency department of Leicester Royal Infirmary University Hospital.

She told doctors she had ‘forcefully’ blown her nose four hours earlier.

Immediately afterwards, her right eyelid ballooned, she told doctors who documented the case in the journal BMJ case reports.

The swelling got progressively worse and was slightly painful, the doctors treating her said.

After ruling out a fever, sinusitis, and physical injury – the woman had not suffered a blow to the nose, face or head – doctors performed a series of tests.

These revealed she had ‘orbital emphysema’, a swelling that occurs when air is forced into the soft tissues around the eye.

In severe cases, the condition can cause blindness, as pressure can build up in the eye, triggering a loss of blood to the optic nerve.

Scans revealed she also had a fracture in the bone in her nose – although the patient was unable to recall an even that might have caused it.

Doctors said it was not clear whether her broken nose bone was as a result of blowing her nose forcefully or an incidental finding.

However they were surprised by cause of her swelling, as orbital emphysema is only usually seen in patients who have suffered a blow to the face.

Writing in the journal, they said: ‘Although orbital emphysema is usually associated with trauma, this case highlights a spontaneous cause due to forceful nose blowing.