Causes and Treatment for Periorbital Cellulitis
Cellulitis is a skin infection caused by Staphylococcus and Streptococcus bacteria
. There are different types of cellulitis depending on the area infected. Some of the types are facial cellulites, breast cellulitis, perianal cellulitis, lower leg (foot) cellulitis, orbital cellulitis and periorbital cellulitis. Periorbital cellulitis or Preseptal cellulitis is an infection localized on the eyelid an areas surrounding the eye.
The microorganisms responsible for this type of cellulitis are Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, some Streptococcus species, and anaerobes. Periorbital cellulitis may be caused by infection from breaks in the skin around the eye or it may be a secondary infection coming from infected blood of the patient with cellulitis in a different part of the body. It may also be caused by infection from the neighboring organs such as sinusitis from the upper respiratory tract.
Other causes are linked with eye trauma, insect bites near or surrounding the eye and surgical procedures near the eyelids. Influenza type B from Haemophilus influenza has been a cause of this infection but since the discovery of a vaccine against this virus, incidents of periorbital cellulitis through this has been close to nil.
The common symptoms for periorbital cellulitis are pain, swelling, redness and discharge in the eyelid and the surrounding area. Reddening of the whites of the eyes or conjunctivitis and the swelling in front of the whites of the eyes or chemosis may also occur. There are cases wherein the patient may not be able to open the high and develop a slight fever. This type of cellulitis is usually found to occur in children less than 10 years old and most patients are less than 5 years of age.
In very rare cases where infection has reached the orbit of the eye, this infection can threaten the one's vision and may also lead to sepsis or meningitis. In contrast to orbital cellulitis, periorbital cellulitis does not cause the eyes to protrude or bulge, it does not limit eye movement and vision, and does not present pain on eye movement.
Periorbital cellulitis diagnosis is established by taking a detailed medical history that would importantly ask about being bitten by any animal or contact with people who has skin infection, a series of blood tests, and an ocular examination to check the vision and eye movement.
Treatment for this periorbital cellulitis must be from a medical expert or physician in a hospital or medical facility. Primary goal of treatment is to stop the infection from spreading to the orbital area that could pose a more serious threat to the infected eye. Young patients usually receive intravenous antibiotics while older patients are given oral antibiotics. The antibiotics used target the gram-positive bacteria streptococci and staphylococci. Common antibiotics administered that have this effect are cephalexin, dicloxacillin and clindamycin.
Pain and swelling in the area may be alleviated by hot or warm compresses. Antibiotic eye drops are also used as added treatment for infection. Lubricants like petroleum jelly are used to relief dry skin on the infected area. A sterile swab or cotton cloth must be used to administer this to avoid further infection. Lubricants also help avoid crusting in the infected area.
Causes and Treatment for Periorbital Cellulitis
By: Barb Hicks - Clivir Team
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