Redness around the eye or in the white part of the eye
Swelling of the eyelid, whites of eyes, and surrounding area
This condition does not usually affect your vision or cause eye pain.
The health care provider will examine the eye.
Antibiotics will be prescribed. They are usually taken by mouth. However, you may also receive a shot of antibiotics.
Periorbital cellulitis almost always improves with treatment. In rare cases, the infection may spread into the eye socket, the tissues that surround the eye, and the eyeball itself. This is called orbital cellulitis.
When to Contact a Medical Professional
Call your doctor right away if:
The eye becomes red or swollen
Symptoms get worse after treatment
Fever develops along with eye symptoms
It is difficult or painful to move the eye
The eye looks like it is sticking (bulging) out
There are vision changes
Wald ER. Periorbital and orbital infections. In: Long SS, ed. Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2008:chap 89.
Olitsky SE, Hug D, Plummer LS, Stass-Isern M. Orbital infections. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 19th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 626.
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.