Periorbital cellulitis​

 

Periorbital cellulitis is a serious infection around the eye, often caused by a sinus infection.

 

It may start as a simple upper respiratory tract infection, which the progresses to a sinus infection, and breaks through the thin bony partitions that separate the sinuses from the eyes. The child develops redness and swelling around the eye, and on occasion the swelling may be so severe that the child is unable to open the eye.

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If infection is relatively mild, admission for intravenous antibiotics is usually all that is required. But in more severe infection, children can develop an abscess near the eye or even the brain area, which may require surgery and / or a longer course of intravenous antibiotics.

 

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If your child develops swelling around the eye, make sure that you attend the Emergency Department .