Panophthalmitis
Medical condition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Panophthalmitis is the inflammation of all parts of the eye and the area around the eye in the eye socket.[1] It can be caused by infection, particularly from Pseudomonas species, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella species,[2] Clostridium species,[3] Whipple's disease,[4] and also fungi.[5][6][7] It can also be caused by ocular melanoma.[8]
| Panophthalmitis | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Ophthalmology  |
| Complications | Blindness, Sympathetic ophthalmia |
Panopthalmitis can also occur when infection in another part of the body spreads to the eyes, such as intra-abdominal infections or abscesses, pneumonia, endocarditis, or fungal infection.[2] Endophthalmitis can progress to form panophthalmitis. Immediate treatment of endophthalmitis is needed, as delays in treatment may progress to panophthalmitis.[2]
A limited case series of 18 patients with panophthalmitis showed that antibiotics and steroids injected into the eyeball and tissues surrounding the eye effectively prevented the need to remove the eye.[2]
A potential complication of panophthalmitis is sympathetic ophthalmia in which inflammation occurs in both eyes, including the unaffected eye, which may lead to blindness.[2]
