Eyelid Swelling and Proptosis with Systemic Implications

Abstract

PRESENTATION A 20-year-old woman presented with a 4-day history of left upper eyelid swelling with erythema and tenderness (Figure 1). Two months prior to presentation, she had a similar episode on the left side, which was diagnosed at an outside facility as a chalazion with associated preseptal cellulitis. Her symptoms resolved with 4 days of oral cephalexin. One month later, she developed similar symptoms on the right side. She was again diagnosed with preseptal cellulitis in the setting of a chalazion, and her symptoms resolved with 7 days of oral cephalexin. Her review of systems was positive for 3-4 years of intermittent joint swelling and pain. Initially, small joints, but recently also medium joints, were involved. The pain and swelling would occur in 1-2 joints for 1-2 weeks and then shift to another 1-2 joints. In addition, she noticed several enlarged cervical and axillary lymph nodes for the past 2 years. She also had dry mouth in the morning, but no significant dry eye symptoms. She noted no fever, chills, night sweats, or weight loss, but had chronic fatigue for 2 months. She also had mild chronic facial erythema that did not worsen with sun exposure. Her family history was notable for her mother having been affected by an unspecified connective tissue disease. On ophthalmologic examination, her visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes, with normal color vision. Her pupils were normal, with no relative afferent pupillary defect. Her intraocular pressure was normal. She was orthophoric and had no subjective double vision. Right extraocular movements were full, but her left eye showed mildly limited abduction and supraduction. Her confrontation visual fields