Philadelphia 76ers facing Joel Embiid’s facial injury
By Bret Stuter
![PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 28: Philadelphia 76ers Center Joel Embiid (21) is attended to for an injury in the first half during the game between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers on March 28, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 28: Philadelphia 76ers Center Joel Embiid (21) is attended to for an injury in the first half during the game between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers on March 28, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/2c890861da6f7253c23600948b75471d5adc92b7cc3aa80b82465a141c4b09df.jpg)
Face it, this is tough
Facial feature injuries are easily misdiagnosed. The orbital fracture is particularly tough to diagnose without higher resolution, and once diagnosed, often involves surgery. The reasons for the surgery are too varied to list, but the outcomes are quite effective. Unlike major limb surgery, there is no “training time” to consider after medical clearance.
Breaking: Joel Embiid will undergo surgery to repair an orbital fracture of his left eye. Pending the results, Embiid could return to play in 2-4 weeks, a source told @ZachLowe_NBA. pic.twitter.com/ALPMSMrei1
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 30, 2018
The outcome of 2-4 weeks is a fair estimate, but lean more to the 3-4 week time frame. And there is the possibility of vision effects after healing, which occurs in 28 percent of the cases in studies.