Orbital Cellulitis is an infection that affects the eye and the skin and tissues surrounding the eye. It basically affects the eye and the other parts of your eye structure within the eye cavity. This disease can affect people of all ages and sexes and is a serious condition which should undergo treatment as soon as possible.
This is caused due to bacteria which causes the infection. There are three types of bacteria that cause orbital cellulitis. These are Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and Haemophilus influenzae. Once you contract any of the bacteria mentioned above, your eye will get infected and there will be lots of other complications too.
The bacteria are contracted directly or from other areas of the body. The most common of such areas are the sinuses. Once the bacteria moves into your eye, then there are a number symptoms that can help you identify if you have the condition or not. Some of the common symptoms are swelling of the eyelids, swollen eyeball, difficulty in moving the eyeball, fever and other mild discomfort. These symptoms are deceptive in the sense that they may be mistaken for another eye condition which is not as serious as Orbital Cellulitis. If you have Orbital Cellulitis, then the fever will keep recurring. You can use this to identify if you are suffering from the condition. Once you start experiencing these symptoms, you must consult a doctor and get your eye diagnosed.
After the diagnosis, there are a set of ways in which the diagnosis can be confirmed. These include, blood tests, x ray, ct scan and cultures of the discharge from your eyes. The most conclusive test is the culture test as you can directly identify the bacteria in your eye.
The condition is treatable although it depends on the extent of the infection. The main treatment is antibiotics, but there may be other complications that may result in surgery. If you have contracted the bacteria from the sinuses, then there is a chance that some of the bacteria are still there. This requires surgical drainage of the sinuses and at times even the eye. This surgery will ensure all traces of the bacteria are wiped out from your body. You should ensure that the treatment is prompt and you should get admitted in the hospital for observation as it is a potentially damaging condition. An eye care specialist is the ideal person you should visit in case of such diseases.
If this potentially damaging disease is not treated promptly, then some serious complication may arise. These can be menegitis, loss of vision and neurological deficits. As the bacteria are in your eye, there is a high chance that your brain also gets infected. This is the reason why this condition is potentially damaging.
As you can see above, unless you receive a diagnosis, you cannot identify whether you have Orbital Cellulitis. As soon as you start experiencing the above mentioned symptoms you should rush to an eye care specialist who can conduct all those tests to confirm his diagnosis so that you receive the antibiotics as soon as possible before any potential damage.
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