Orbital cellulitis (patient information)

For the WikiDoc page for this topic, click here.

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Assosciate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Prashanth Saddala M.B.B.S

Orbital cellulitis
Overview
What are the symptoms?
What are the causes?
Who is at highest risk?
Diagnosis
When to seek urgent medical care?
Treatment options
Where to find medical care for Orbital cellulitis?
Prevention
What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?
Possible complications
Orbital cellulitis On the Web
Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov
Images of Orbital cellulitis
Videos on Orbital cellulitis
FDA on Orbital cellulitis
CDC on Orbital cellulitis
Orbital cellulitis in the news
Blogs on Orbital cellulitis
Directions to Hospitals Treating Orbital cellulitis
Risk calculators and risk factors for Orbital cellulitis

Overview

Orbital cellulitis is an acute infection of the tissues immediately surrounding the eye, including the eyelids, eyebrow, and cheek.

What are the symptoms of Orbital cellulitis?

Symptoms of orbital cellulitis may include:

• Painful swelling of upper and lower eyelid, and possibly the eyebrow and cheek
• Bulging eyes
• Decreased vision
• Eye pain, especially when moving the eye
• Fever, generally 102 degrees F or higher
• General feeling of discomfort
• Painful or difficult eye movements
• Shiny, red or purple eyelid

What causes Orbital cellulitis?

Orbital cellulitis is a dangerous infection with potentially serious complications.

Bacteria from a sinus infection (often ''Haemophilus influenzae) usually cause this condition in children. Orbital cellulitis due to this bacteria used to be much more common in young children up to age 6 - 7. However, such infection is now rare because of the HiB (Haemophilus influenzae B) vaccine.

The bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and beta-hemolytic streptococci may also cause orbital cellulitis.

Other causes include a stye on the eyelid, bug bites, or a recent eyelid injury.

Orbital cellulitis infections in children may get worse very quickly and can lead to blindness. Immediate medical attention is needed

Sources

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001012.htm