Orbital Abscess in a Green Iguana, Iguana iguana
Assoc Reptilian Amphibian Vet 9[3]:27-31 Fall'99 Case Report 22 Refs

The primary clinical signs of orbital disease are exophthalmos, enophthalmos and strabismus. The secondary clinical signs of orbital disease include periorbital swelling, ocular discharge, vision loss, exposure keratitis and pain. An understanding of orbital anatomy is critical for selecting appropriate diagnostic tests and therapy of orbital disease. Diagnostics and therapy appropriate for orbital disease are reviewed. The iguana orbit is comprised of the globe, conjunctive, extraocular muscles, harderian and lacrimal glands, fat, connective tissue, and the surrounding bone. Primary orbital disease originates in any of the structures listed above, while secondary orbital disease may be an extension of local disease (adjacent sinuses or oral cavity) or occur due to disseminated systemic disease. Orbital disease may present as periorbital swelling, strabismus (globe deviation), exophthalmos (lateral displacement of the globe) or, less commonly, as enophthalmos (medial displacement of the globe). Exophthalmos must be differentiated from buphthalmos (a normally positioned globe enlarged secondary to chronic glaucoma). This distinction can be difficult, requiring comparison to the other eye and possibly measurement of the corneal diameter horizontally from limbus to limbus or ocular ultrasound. Orbital disease has been infrequently reported in iguanas. This report describes diagnostics and therapy of an orbital abscess in an iguana.