In the pre-antibiotic era, orbital complications of acute sinusitis were not infrequent, often leading to severe patient morbidity, including blindness. Today, treatment of orbital complications consists primarily of systemic antibiotic therapy with surgical intervention reserved for large or medically unresponsive orbital or subperiosteal abscesses. Staging systems have been created to assist physicians in management and prognosis of such complications, but do not replace clinical acumen. Although powerful antibiotics have decreased the morbidity associated with orbital complications of acute sinusitis, the physician should remain aware of potential complications and ready to escalate treatment when necessary.
