| Dacryoadenitis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lacrimal gland(upper left) | |
| Specialty | Ophthalmology  |
Dacryoadenitis isinflammation of thelacrimal glands.[1]
Swelling may be severe enough to put pressure on the eye and distortvision. Some patients first thought to have dacryoadenitis may turn out to have amalignancy of the lacrimal gland.[citation needed]
Acute dacryoadenitis is most commonly due toviral orbacterialinfection. Common causes includemumps,Epstein-Barr virus,staphylococcus, andgonococcus.[citation needed]
Chronic dacryoadenitis is usually due to noninfectious inflammatory disorders. Examples includesarcoidosis, thyroid eye disease, and orbital pseudotumor.[citation needed]
Dacryoadenitis can be diagnosed by examination of theeyes and lids. Special tests such as aCT scan may be required to search for the cause. Sometimesbiopsy will be needed to be sure that atumor of the lacrimal gland is not present.[citation needed]
Mumps can be prevented byimmunization. Gonococcus, bacteria can be avoided by the use ofcondoms. Most other causes cannot be prevented.[citation needed]
If the cause of dacryoadenitis is a viral condition such as mumps, simple rest andwarm compresses may be all that is needed. For other causes, the treatment is specific to the causative disease.[citation needed]
Most patients will fully recover from dacryoadenitis. For conditions with more serious causes, such as sarcoidosis, theprognosis is that of the underlying condition.[citation needed]