a 72 year old man presented with new - onset pain with eye movement and diplopia . one day prior to presentation , he had accidentally struck his face on a metal fence while walking on a city street at night . while actively engaged in conversation , he had walked into the corner pole of a metal fence and struck his left eye area . he was wearing spectacles at the time , which were scratched , but not shattered . he reported that he was not intoxicated and did not notice the object until after the trauma . he reported double vision on upgaze and pain in the left eye in all fields of gaze . noncontrast computed tomography of the head and orbits revealed a depressed fracture of the left orbital floor with entrapment of the inferior rectus muscle ( figure 1 ) . he was evaluated by an oculoplastic specialist for clinically significant left orbital floor fracture and advised to undergo exploration and repair of the fracture . intraoperatively , a depressed defect in the orbital floor was noted , with herniation of the inferior rectus muscle into the maxillary sinus . the entrapped muscle and surrounding orbital fat were released from the fracture and forced ductions revealed satisfactory delivery of the tissue . cell phone use has become ubiquitous worldwide over the past decade . in the united states , an estimated 80% of the population owns a cell phone.1 several studies have demonstrated an increase in accident rates among drivers distracted by handheld cell phones , and legislation now limits the use of handheld cell phones by drivers in several states , beginning with new york state in 2001.2,3 only more recently have the distracting effects of cell phones been examined in the pedestrian population . in a study of passers - by in a large urban university campus , pedestrians talking on cell phones were significantly less likely than pedestrians holding cell phones but not engaging in conversation to recall planted objects set along a predefined route . pedestrians talking on cell phones also displayed unsafe road - crossing behavior at cross - walks significantly more often than did pedestrians without cell phones or pedestrians listening to portable music players.4 these findings were confirmed in subsequent analyses of college - aged pedestrians using handheld devices.5,6 the distracting effect of cell phones seems to be amplified in older individuals.7 discussion of cell phone - related pedestrian morbidity has made its way into the public arena as well . a recent article in a major urban newspaper highlighted the story of a woman who suffered minor injuries after walking into a parked truck while talking to a family member on her cell phone.8 interest has not only been directed to talking on cell phones ;  text - walking  is becoming a popular term for pedestrians , often not attentive to their surroundings , who text while on the go.9 it is now apparent that texting while walking affects not only gait velocity but lateral deviation as well , placing text - walkers at risk for encountering unintended obstacles resulting in injury.10 in new york , former senator carl kruger sponsored a bill that would make crossing a city cross - walk while using an electronic device punishable by a $ 100 fine , citing an incident wherein a young man was crushed by a truck after he stepped into the street while distracted by loud music on his headphones.11 a similar bill proposed in arkansas was later dropped by senator jimmy jeffress after it failed to gain popularity with constituents . the number of pedestrians using cell phones in public traffic areas may only be expected to rise as these increasingly versatile devices gain even wider popularity . ocular trauma among pedestrians and other road users associated with the use of electronic devices represents an increasing mode of injury of which ophthalmologists should be aware .
use of cell phones in the general population has become increasingly commonplace . 
 the distracting effects of cell phones among automobile drivers are well established , and legislation prohibits the use of handheld cell phones while driving in several states . 
 recent research has focused on the similar distracting effects of cell phones in the pedestrian population . in this report , an older gentleman suffered extensive facial trauma requiring surgery as a direct effect of cell phone use at the time the trauma occurred . 
 this case highlights the role that portable electronic devices can play as a cause of ocular trauma .