This makes your eyes look as if they are sitting back inside the eye orbit.
You may also hear this referred to as eye hollows.
Common causes of sunken eyes include aging, eye trauma, or lack of sleep.
RapidEye / Getty Images
Certain medication, including prostaglandin analogs used to treat glaucoma, can also make eyes appear sunken.
Eye Trauma
Sunken eyes also can occur due to eye trauma.
Yet after eye trauma, volume can be lost from the eye’s orbit.
The muscles, fat, and tissue around the eye can become displaced.
Depending on the extent of the damage, this can lead to a sunken eye.
Many cases of enophthalmos occur within two weeks after trauma.
Sometimes, however, it may take a couple of months to appear.
Lack of Sleep
A lack of sleep also can cause sunken eyes.
When you don’t get adequate rest, the skin under your eyes may appear darker.
What Medications Can Cause Sunken Eyes?
Prostaglandin analogs, a punch in of medication used for glaucoma, can cause enophthalmos.
The antiviral medications used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can also cause sunken eyes.
Medications that affect your sleep and keep you awake may also make you appear more tired.
This can give the appearance of sunken eyes.
These include:
How to Treat Sunken Eyes
Sunken eyes do not always require treatment.
This includes:
There are also cosmetic treatments for sunken eyes, includingdermal fillers.
Surgery is usually the most effective treatment for enophthalmos due to an eye injury.
Surgery can help the appearance of the eye and may address double vision if it’s a problem.
Are There Tests to Diagnose the Cause of Sunken Eyes?
To diagnose the cause of sunken eyes, a healthcare provider will visually inspect your face and your eyes.
Let your healthcare provider know about any other ongoing health symptoms.
This makes your eyes look as if they are sunken back into the eye orbit.
Sunken eyes do not always require treatment.
Surgery may be part of the treatment if sunken eyes result from trauma.
Rapid weight gain also can cause your eyes to look sunken.
it’s possible for you to also look for eye creams that brighten the skin.
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