US Medical Term · anatomy
Orbit
Órbita
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 |
What it means
The orbit is the bony socket in your skull that houses and protects your eyeball. Each eye sits in its own orbit, surrounded by a cone-shaped cavity formed by seven skull bones. The orbit cushions the eyeball with fat and connective tissue and contains the muscles that move the eye, as well as the blood vessels and nerves that supply the eye and surrounding structures. The optic nerve exits the back of the orbit through an opening in the bone called the optic canal. Fractures of the orbit (called orbital fractures or blowout fractures) can occur from direct impacts to the eye area, such as from a fist or ball. Infections, tumors, or inflammatory conditions can cause a bulging eye (proptosis) by increasing pressure within the orbit.
How to say it
Sentences a patient might use with a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or insurer:
The CT scan showed I have a fracture in the bone around my eye socket — the orbit.
La tomografía mostró que tengo una fractura en el hueso alrededor de mi cuenca del ojo — la órbita.
My eye is bulging outward — my doctor said something is pushing on the back of the orbit.
Mi ojo sobresale hacia afuera — mi doctor dijo que algo está presionando la parte posterior de la órbita.
I got hit in the face and now my eye cannot move up — could the orbit be fractured?
Me golpearon en la cara y ahora mi ojo no puede moverse hacia arriba — ¿podría estar fracturada la órbita?
Where you'll see it
Related terms
Sources
Last reviewed: September 2026