Orbit in Spanish

Orbit and eye socket

The NCI dictionary gives eye socket as another name for the orbit. MedlinePlus pairs the words the same way in its article on the orbit CT scan, which it describes as an imaging method that uses x-rays to create detailed pictures of the eye sockets (orbits), eyes and surrounding bones. Among that article's alternative names are eye CT scan and CT scan - orbital.

Why the orbit is imaged

MedlinePlus says the orbit CT scan is helpful for diagnosing diseases that affect areas around the eyes: blood vessels, eye muscles, the nerves supplying the eyes (optic nerves) and the sinuses. It may also be used to detect an abscess (infection) of the eye area, a broken eye socket bone or a foreign object in the eye socket.

What it means

The orbit is the space within the skull that contains the eye, including its nerves and muscles, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) dictionary. The orbit also includes the eyelids and the glands that make tears, and it is made up of seven bones that surround and protect the eye. NCI adds that it is also called the eye socket, and MedlinePlus uses the two words side by side, writing eye sockets (orbits). The term appears in the name of an imaging test: an orbit CT scan uses x-rays to create detailed pictures of the eye sockets, eyes and surrounding bones. MedlinePlus says this scan may be used to detect a broken eye socket bone or a foreign object in the eye socket. In Spanish the term is órbita.

Orbit in Spanish

Spanish term: Órbita
Gender and article: feminine: la órbita
Pronunciation: OR-bee-tah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
cuenca del ojo	General	The Spanish dictionary defines the anatomical sense of órbita with these words; MedlinePlus en español writes las cuencas de los ojos (órbitas).
cavidad orbitaria	General	Another name given at the end of the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary entry for órbita.

Órbita is the term in the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary and in MedlinePlus en español, and it is feminine: la órbita. The Spanish dictionary lists several senses for the word; the first is the curved path of a body moving around a center, as in la órbita de Saturno, and the anatomical one is given simply as cuenca del ojo. MedlinePlus en español writes las cuencas de los ojos (órbitas) and also la órbita del ojo. The NCI Spanish dictionary says the orbit is also called cavidad orbitaria.

Two adjectives appear in the cited pages: MedlinePlus en español writes fractura del hueso orbital where the English page has broken eye socket bone, and the NCI dictionary uses cavidad orbitaria. The scan is tomografía computarizada de la órbita. The NCI Spanish dictionary names what the orbit holds as el ojo, sus nervios y músculos, los párpados and las glándulas que producen lágrimas, and says it is formed by seven bones, huesos, that surround and protect the eye.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I was hit in the eye with a ball, and now I see double.	Me golpearon en el ojo con una pelota y ahora veo doble.
Clinician	Does it hurt when you move your eye up or to the side?	¿Le duele al mover el ojo hacia arriba o hacia un lado?
Clinician	I am going to order a CT scan of the orbit to look at the bones around your eye.	Voy a pedirle una tomografía computarizada de la órbita para ver los huesos que rodean el ojo.
Patient	What is the orbit?	¿Qué es la órbita?
Clinician	It is the eye socket, the space in the skull that holds the eye.	Es la cuenca del ojo, el espacio del cráneo que contiene el ojo.
Patient	The report says there is a fracture of the orbital bone. Does that mean my eye socket is broken?	El informe dice que hay una fractura del hueso orbital. ¿Eso quiere decir que tengo rota la cuenca del ojo?
Clinician	Have you ever had a reaction to contrast dye?	¿Ha tenido alguna vez una reacción al medio de contraste?
Patient	Do I need to take off my jewelry for the scan?	¿Tengo que quitarme las joyas para la tomografía?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Orbit
Spanish (Español)	Órbita
Chinese (中文)	眼眶
Korean (한국어)	안와
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Hốc mắt
Filipino (Tagalog)	Orbit ng mata
Portuguese (Português)	Órbita ocular
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	เบ้าตา
Japanese (日本語)	眼窩

Where you'll see it

chartdischarge summarymedical recordsurgical report

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Eyes and ears

All terms in this area: Eyes and ears — Ojos y oídos

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.