Doctors typically advise contacting health care providers if the infection lasts for more than 10 days, because most viral infections clear themselves within that period with home remedies - liquids, rest and over the counter (OTC) medications to manage symptoms. If these remedies aren’t working or your infection lingers beyond this time frame, then your doctor likely will recommend a course of antibiotics.
Most often, antibiotics help manage symptoms and offer patients more comfort. However, they may be prescribed to ward off potentially serious complications that can arise when a bacterial sinus infection spreads to the eyes or brain. Most often, these complications affect the eyes, causing redness, swelling around the eyes and reduced vision. Complications may even lead to blindness, a condition called cavernous sinus thrombosis.
If you suffer from any of these symptoms, you should seek immediate medical attention so that you can receive a dose of IV antibiotics to speed healing and limit or prevent permanent damage. Patients may be admitted to the hospital to get a CT scan, which helps doctors determine whether fluid needs to be drained.
Rarely, untreated bacterial sinus infections that occur near the center of one’s head can spread into the brain, causing potentially life-threatening conditions like meningitis or a brain abscess.
What Else Could It Be?
Because sinusitis symptoms are somewhat vague or generic in nature, there are other conditions with symptoms that can mimic those of a sinus infection. Among these conditions:
Viral Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) or Common Cold: The common cold shares many of the same symptoms of sinusitis and may lead to sinusitis, but these conditions are treated differently.