Swelling and redness in a child's eyelids can be caused by various things, mranging from harmless conditions to serious conditions that can cause blindness. Therefore, it is important for parents to detect swelling and redness in their child's eyelids.
One of the eye diseases in children with symptoms of swollen and red eyes that are at risk of causing blindness is orbital cellulitis. Orbital cellulitis is an infection of the tissue in the eye socket. This disease most often occurs when a bacterial infection in the sinus cavity (sinusitis) spreads to the eye socket.
In addition to infections in the sinus cavities, infections in other tissues, such as the skin of the eyelids, eyeballs, or upper respiratory tract, can also spread to the eye sockets and cause orbital cellulitis. In addition to infection, injury or trauma around the face can also cause orbital cellulitis.
Symptoms of Orbital Cellulitis
Parents need to be alert if their child's eyes look red and their eyelids are swollen, especially if the child has recently had a respiratory, ear, and dental infection, or a facial injury.
Apart from red eyes and swollen eyelids, other symptoms seen in orbital cellulitis are:
- Pain when moving the eyeball
- Eyeballs look more prominent
- Lower eyelid drooping (looks droopy)
- Double vision
- Blurred vision
Children with orbital cellulitis may also have a fever, feel weak and nauseous, and vomit.
If the above complaints arise, immediately consult an ophthalmologist, because orbital cellulitis can cause nerve and eye blood vessel disorders, as well as injury to the clear membrane of the eye (corneal ulcers) which can lead to blindness. In addition, this infection in the eye socket can also spread to the lining of the brain and cause meningitis which is fatal.
The ophthalmologist will perform an eye examination, starting from visual acuity, visual field, eye movement, eye pressure, to the severity of eye protrusion (proptosis measurement).
If necessary, the ophthalmologist can perform further examinations in the form of blood tests and bacterial cultures to determine the type of bacteria causing it, so that the appropriate treatment can be determined. Imaging with a CT scan can be done if the therapy is not successful in overcoming the complaint.
Orbital Cellulitis Treatment
Children with orbital cellulitis need to be hospitalized so their condition can be monitored. During treatment, the doctor will give you an infusion of antibiotics to kill the bacteria.
The type of antibiotic given depends on the type of bacteria that attacks, and can change during treatment, according to the examination of bacterial culture.
If the situation improves after two days, the antibiotic that was initially given through an IV can be changed to a tablet that is taken by mouth. If there is pus (abscess) at the site of infection and the pus does not go away with medication, surgery can be performed.
Despite the presence of pus, orbital cellulitis often improves with only antibiotics. However, there are several conditions that may be considered by an ophthalmologist to perform surgery, including:
- Child age over 9 years
- Limited eye movement
- Increased pressure in the eyeball
- There is visual disturbance
Orbital cellulitis can heal well and leave no after effects if treated quickly. Therefore, immediately consult your child to the eye doctor if his eyes look swollen, especially if accompanied by visual disturbances.
Written by:
dr. Dian Hadiany Rahim, SpM(Ophthalmologist)
