Lacrimal Gland Inflammation: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

All inflammatory processes that take place in the face, and especially in the nerve-rich region of the nose and in the sensitive areas of the eyes, are not only fraught with numerous risks. Like lacrimal gland inflammation, they are exceedingly unpleasant and painful.

What is lacrimal gland inflammation?

Many people have gone through lacrimal gland inflammation and are glad when the distressing symptoms finally subside. As part of the definition of lacrimal gland inflammation, medical science uses another term for lacrimal gland inflammation that is usually unfamiliar to the layperson. In this context it is about the synonym dacryoadenitis. The individual parts of the word are compounded and individually mean on the one hand inflammatory process and on the other hand a localization of the inflammatory focus in the lacrimal gland. Dacryoadenitis, in addition to the actual inflammation of the lacrimal gland, may also involve an impairment of the lacrimal duct.

Causes

Causes of lacrimal gland inflammation include not only various pre-existing conditions. Equally significant in lacrimal gland inflammation are specific external factors that lead to inflammation caused by bacteria or dirt particles. When it comes to acute lacrimal gland inflammation, the causative factors mainly include infectious diseases and inflammation of the conjunctiva caused by bacteria or viruses. In addition, injuries to the lacrimal gland can also cause lacrimal gland inflammation. Causes of chronic lacrimal gland inflammation include tuberculosis, Hodgkin’s disease, and other blood diseases such as leukemia or venereal diseases such as syphilis and individual tumorous diseases.

Symptoms, complaints, and signs

Because acute inflammation usually occurs on only one side, symptoms also appear on only one side. The conjunctiva at the inner corner of the affected eye reddens. At the outer corner of the eyelid, the tissue swells, reddens and warms up and is very sensitive to pressure. Even the slightest touch causes pain. Because of the severe swelling and pain, the upper eyelid can be opened only slightly or not at all. This leads to a drooping eyelid, the appearance of which doctors call a paragraph shape. The eye tears and secretes a watery or yellowish secretion that causes the eyelashes to stick together. When the inflammation is advanced, pus may be forced out of the lacrimal gland. The secretion causes streaking on the eyes and vision may be affected. The lymph nodes in front of the ear (preauricular lymph nodes) may swell. In addition, accompanying general signs of illness may include fever, headache, nausea with vomiting, fatigue, and exhaustion. If the infection spreads to the conjunctiva, it feels as if there is a foreign body in the eye. It is scratchy with every movement of the eye. The chronic form of the disease can occur on both sides and usually does not cause pain, but the eye area swells much more than in the acute infection.

Diagnosis and course

Anyone who has experienced lacrimal gland inflammation once or more knows how distressing the symptoms that occur are. Lacrimal gland inflammation can have both an acute, sudden onset that heals after a period of time, and a chronic, constantly recurring course. In the case of lacrimal gland inflammation, the classic processes for an inflammatory process occur, such as redness and swelling of the affected and surrounding tissue, pain and warming of the area. However, lacrimal gland inflammation does not have to be painful in every case. In severe cases of lacrimal gland inflammation, pus comes out of the lacrimal gland when light pressure is applied. For a meaningful diagnosis of lacrimal gland inflammation, swabs must be taken in addition to an assessment of the symptoms. These are largely differential diagnostic in lacrimal gland inflammation.

Complications

Lacrimal gland inflammation usually heals without major symptoms. Serious complications can occur if the patient’s immune system is very weakened. Then, pus may form in the affected eye and an abscess may develop. This is accompanied by a deterioration of vision – visual disturbances and sometimes also injuries in the area of the eye.In a severe course, gastrointestinal complaints, headaches and high fever also occur. Due to the permanent strain on the eye, vision can be permanently impaired. In the most severe case, blindness of the affected eye occurs. The acute inflammation can turn into a chronic disease with recurring complaints. This usually results in psychological problems for the person affected. The optical blemish can cause social anxiety and thus affect the quality of life of the affected person. With comprehensive treatment, apart from any side effects of the prescribed medication, no major complications occur. However, if the corresponding medication is taken over a longer period of time, organ damage can occur. The risk of such a serious complication exists only in chronically ill patients, who usually take antibiotics and painkillers for months.

When should you see a doctor?

Redness and swelling around the eyes and increased lacrimation indicate lacrimation. A visit to the doctor is recommended if the symptoms do not subside within a few days. If inflammation is added or pus is discharged from the lacrimal sac, the ophthalmologist must be consulted. If the lacrimal gland is injured, it is best to go directly to the doctor’s office. In particular, people who come into contact with harmful substances at work or in their private lives should consult a medical professional if they show signs of lacrimal gland inflammation. If dacryoadenitis is not treated adequately, it can spread to the entire eye socket. In the worst case, the condition becomes chronic. During treatment, consultation with the ophthalmologist should be maintained. The physician should be informed of any unusual symptoms as well as any side effects of the prescribed medication. The lacrimal gland inflammation should have subsided within two weeks. A prolonged condition requires closer examination, as there may be a serious underlying condition that needs to be treated first before the inflammation can be treated.

Treatment and therapy

Varying agents are available for the treatment of lacrimal gland inflammation. In the majority of applications, these include specifically selected medications to initially resolve the acute symptoms. For this purpose, medicines to be taken by mouth, i.e. oral, or to be applied externally are prescribed for lacrimal gland inflammation. For the external treatment of lacrimal gland inflammation, antibiotic substances or, depending on the patient’s tolerance, warm, preferably sterile compresses are prescribed. If specific pre-existing or concomitant diseases are suspected of being responsible as causative factors for lacrimal gland inflammation, these should also be subjected to therapy. If viruses have been identified as the trigger of lacrimal gland inflammation, which are also suspected in herpes blisters, for example, the therapeutic measures are based on these findings. If no infectious pathogens are present in lacrimal gland inflammation, treatment with prednisone is usually sufficient to reduce the swelling. The administration of corticosteroid-containing preparations is considered superficial in the treatment of lacrimal gland inflammation. In addition, therapy of dacryoadenitis involves excellent hygiene to avoid spreading infectious germs to the other eye or other facial areas (smear infection).

Prevention

As preventive measures against lacrimal gland inflammation, there are not too many known preventive measures besides best possible cleanliness and avoidance of drafts and fine dusts. People who suffer from a disease that can be accompanied by dacryoadenitis immediately take medical treatment. Also, prophylactically, it is helpful to avoid lacrimal gland inflammation by not bringing pathogens to the area of the eyes. This often happens unconsciously in the case of herpes on the lips, for example. When wiping the eyes, one should always proceed from the inside to the outside. This approach can also counteract the development of lacrimal gland inflammation.

Aftercare

After treatment of lacrimal gland inflammation, there are no specific follow-up visits that need to be performed. The routine final visit to the doctor after the treatment performed or medication taken is sufficient in most cases.An important point to note with the completion of therapy is the complete healing of the inflammation. This reduces the risk of chronic dacryoadenitis. Patients are therefore advised to pay attention to hygiene in the eye area and throughout the face to make recurrence of lacrimal gland inflammation unlikely. Since antibiotics are used for treatment in most cases, patients can continue their daily lives as usual without restrictions after successful completion of treatment. In general, however, intestinal rehabilitation may be necessary after therapy. This is because the active substances that enter the body of the sick person when antibiotics are taken alter the intestinal flora by reducing the number of healthy bacteria. As a result, further health problems may occur, as the immune system is weakened by the lack of bacteria. Patients have the opportunity to rebuild their intestinal flora after antibiotic therapy, for example with probiotic foods, and thus strengthen the entire immune system. This makes chronic disease even less likely.

What you can do yourself

The most proven home remedy is compresses soaked in soothing chamomile tea. It is important to use only real chamomile and not tea bags from supermarkets. A simple application of already cooled chamomile tea bags also has an effect on the affected eye. Alternatively, fennel tea bags can also be used. In addition, compresses with the medicinal plant eyebright help those affected. Eye drops from eyebright have a fast and more effective effect. Furthermore, those affected should also pay attention to their diet. Thus should be consumed thereby only in moderation sugar and starch-containing food. These include especially fatty meat, white bread and strong coffee. On the other hand, patients should eat citrus fruits and low-fat fish. Fish oil in particular can support the function of the lacrimal glands and helps them to heal more quickly. Special fish oil capsules contain the important omega-3 fatty acids and help the inflammation to heal more quickly. Eye exercises are also a proven and very popular home remedy. Patients should alternate between carefully relaxing the affected eye and then moving it. This should be done several times a day. Ideally, the eyes should be gently moved up and then back down several times. Homeopathic remedies are also recommended. First and foremost, remedies such as Ledum palustre, Staphisagria, Apis mellifica, Rhus toxicodendron and Argentum nitricum are used here.