COVID-19 disease presenting as orbital cellulitis – A case series

Abstract

Coronavirus infection most commonly presents with mild influenza-like symptoms. The most common ocular presentation is conjunctivitis. We report four patients of COVID-19 infection presenting as orbital cellulitis. They all were incidentally found COVID-19 positive on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. All had painful edema of eyelids, extraocular movement restriction, and other symptoms of orbital cellulitis at presentation. Three of 4 had uncontrolled diabetes and one had coronary artery disease. Proven mucormycosis was present in two patients; cerebral involvement (abscess and stroke in 1 each) in two patients. Two of them died, one underwent orbital exenteration and one developed hemiplegia due to stroke. COVID can present as orbital cellulitis and carries a very grave prognosis.

Keywords

• covid 19
• evisceration
• mucormycoses
• orbital
• orbital cellulitis
• polymerase chain reaction
• reverse transcriptase