Common Causes of Orbital Inflammation include:

  •     Thyroid Eye Disease
  •     Sarcoidosis
  •     Infectious Orbital Cellulitis
  •     Orbital Myositis
  •     Scleritis
  •     Orbital Vasculitis
  •     Sjogren's Disease
  •     Wegener's Granulomatosis
  •     Orbital Pseudotumor
  •     Malignant Ocular Tumors

Any or all of the structures within the orbit may become inflamed.


Causes

Inflammation of the orbit can be the result of a body wide (systemic) inflammatory disorder.  Sometimes the inflammation affects only the eye.

Systemic inflammatory disorders that affect the eye include Wegener's granulomatosis, in which there is generalized inflammation of blood vessels (called vasculitis).  Inflammatory disorders that affect only the eye include scleritis, in which the white coat of the eye (sclera) becomes inflamed.  Inflammation affecting the lacrimal gland, located at the upper outer edge of the orbit is called inflammatory dacryoadenitis.  Inflammation that affects one of the muscles that move the move the eye is call myositis.  Inflammation affecting the entire orbit and its contents is called inflammatory orbital pseudotumor (which is not really a tumor and is not a cancer) or nonspecific orbital inflammation.

Symptoms

Symptoms vary depending on which structures are actually inflamed.  In general, symptoms start rather suddenly, typically over a few days.  Pain and redness of the eyeball or eyelid occur.  Pain can be severe and incapacitating at times.  Abnormal bulging of the eyes (proptosis), double vision, and vision loss are also possible.


Diagnosis

Computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is done.  A surgical biopsy from the inflamed area may be necessary for examination under a microscope biopsy to determine the cause.

Treatment

Many disorders causing inflammation are treated with a corticosteroid drug, which can be given by mouth.  Corticosteroids can be given by vein (intravenously) if the inflammation is severe.  Radiation therapy or drugs and treatments that change the body's immune responses may sometimes be used