Abstract
Orbital cellulitis along with panophthalmitis is uncommon. The causes are usually trauma-related or endogenous. The prognosis in terms of globe salvage is very poor with most cases usually requiring enucleation or evisceration of the affected eye. Immunosuppression in some form is usually present, which accounts for the aggressive course of the infection. In this communication, we report a case of a 25-year-old female, in the second trimester of pregnancy, who developed orbital cellulitis and panophthalmitis caused by Methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA); with the primary source of infection being cellulitis on her forearm following intravenous therapy for severe anaemia. Despite intensive intravenous and topical antibiotics, she required an evisceration of the eye. The pregnancy however, continued uneventfully with the eventual delivery of a full-term, healthy child. Bacteremia, although rare in pregnancy can cause endogenous panophthalmitis and orbital cellulitis, especially in a background of immunosuppression.
