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Periorbital Cellulitis Treatment

Periorbital cellulitis is a very serious infection of the area around the eye. Eighty percent of cases occur in children younger than 10 years old. It needs immediate medical attention and can spread very quickly. If caught in the early stages, it can be treated with oral antibiotics, but needs to be closely monitored by a doctor. Signs of periorbital cellulitis are redness and inflammation around the eye, heat, swollen upper and lower eyelids. Fever may also be present.

  1. Periorbital Cellulitis

    • Cellulitis is an infection of the soft tissue, such as fat and muscle tissue. It can occur in any soft tissue, anywhere in the body. It is caused by the Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and or Haemophilus influenzae bacteria. It can start from a scratch or cut that gets infected, or from bacteria entering the eyeball, such as from pink eye. It also can come from an infection of the sinuses, and then spread toward the eye sockets. It is a common but serious infection and must be treated by a doctor. It spreads very quickly and can result in permanent vision damage if the periorbital cellulitis develops into orbital cellulitis.

    Diagnosing Periorbital Cellulitis

    • Diagnosis is by culture of the drainage from the area, x-ray, CAT scan or blood tests. Your doctor may treat a suspected periorbital cellulitis aggressively until the diagnosis is confirmed. If you suspect you have periorbital cellulitis, you must see your doctor immediately. The most obvious sign is the redness and inflammation around the eye sockets. This will be hot, painful and spreading rapidly. The following systemic conditions are often seen with periorbital cellulitis: varicella, asthma, nasal polyposis and Neutropenia.

    Treating Periorbital Cellulitis

    • If caught early enough, periorbital cellulitis can be treated with oral antibiotics. Intravenous antibiotics will be used if the inflammation has spread too far to be treated with oral antibiotics. Hospitalization may be necessary. In cases with children or anyone with a compromised immune system, hospitalization is required in everything but the mildest cases because of the danger of periorbital cellulitis spreading and becoming orbital cellulitis. Surgery is sometimes required to drain abscesses caused by the cellulitis.

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