Primary hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common cancers in Taiwan, but orbital metastases are rare. To the best of our knowledge, only 10 cases of metastases to the orbit have been described in the literature. This may be related to the short clinical course of the malignancy and the fact that most patients died before metastasis occurred. We describe a 69-year-old man who developed progressive painful ophthalmoplegia for two weeks. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed a right supraorbital mass invading the orbital cavity. The diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma with orbital metastasis was made after surgical removal of the orbital mass. This is the first reported case of hepatocellular carcinoma with the unusual mode of presentation in Taiwan. We emphasize the importance of early recognition and treatment of this clinical condition.