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Patient education: Orbital cellulitis (The Basics)

Patient education: Orbital cellulitis (The Basics)

What is orbital cellulitis? — Orbital cellulitis is a rare but dangerous infection that affects the tissues around the eyeball (figure 1). It can lead to blindness and, very rarely, death.

Orbital cellulitis can happen when bacteria get into the tissues around the eyeball. Most cases happen in people who have sinusitis. Sinusitis is an infection of the sinuses, the hollow areas in the bones of the face (figure 2). It can also happen if a person has:

Eye surgery or an injury near the eye

A blocked tear duct

An infection in a tooth, an ear, or somewhere in the face

A more common eye infection is called "preseptal cellulitis" or "periorbital cellulitis." This is different from orbital cellulitis, but it has some of the same symptoms. These include eye pain and swollen, red eyelids. But preseptal cellulitis affects only the eyelid and is not as serious as orbital cellulitis. Orbital cellulitis affects the deeper tissues around the eyeball, though the eyelid can be affected, too.

Both orbital cellulitis and preseptal cellulitis are most common in young children.

What are the symptoms of orbital cellulitis? — The symptoms include:

Eyelid swelling and redness

Fever

Double vision

Problems with the eyeball. It might:

Hurt a lot, especially when you try to move it

Not move at all

Bulge outward

Is there a test for orbital cellulitis? — Your doctor or nurse will do an exam and ask about your symptoms. You will probably need an imaging test such as a CT scan or MRI. These tests take pictures of the inside of the head, including the eyes and sinuses.

How is orbital cellulitis treated? — Treatments include:

Antibiotics – Antibiotics are medicines that treat infections caused by bacteria. Antibiotics for orbital cellulitis are given through a thin tube that goes into a vein, called an "IV." Usually, people who get them start to get better in about 3 to 5 days. Once you start getting better, you can switch to antibiotic pills. You will need to take these for at least 2 to 3 weeks and maybe longer.

Surgery – This is done only if:

An imaging test shows signs of an "abscess." An abscess is a pocket of pus inside the head near the eye. The surgery removes the abscess

or

You do not show any signs of getting better after taking antibiotics

Can orbital cellulitis be prevented? — You can reduce your chances of getting orbital cellulitis by seeing your doctor or nurse if you have a serious case of sinusitis.

More on this topic

Patient education: Sinusitis in adults (The Basics)
Patient education: Conjunctivitis (pink eye) (The Basics)
Patient education: Blocked tear duct (The Basics)

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Jan 01, 2023.
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