The standard treatment for an uncomplicated skin or soft tissue abscess is opening and draining. There does not appear to be any benefit from also using antibiotics in most cases. A small amount of evidence did not find benefit from packing the abscess with gauze.

The abscess should be inspected to identify if foreign objects are a cause, which may require their removal. If foreign objects are not the cause, incising and draining the abscess is standard treatment.

In critical areas where surgery presents a high risk, it may be delayed or used as a last resort. The drainage of a lung abscess may be performed by positioning the patient in a way that enables the contents to be discharged via the respiratory tract. Warm compresses and elevation of the limb may be beneficial for a skin abscess.

The infection is frequently penicillin resistant. There are a number of antibiotics options including amoxicillin/clavulanate, clindamycin, or metronidazole in combination with benzylpenicillin (penicillin G) or penicillin V. Piperacillin/tazobactam may also be used.

Treatment is by removing the pus, antibiotics, sufficient fluids, and pain medication. Steroids may also be useful. Admission to hospital is generally not needed.

A meta-analysis found evidence that does not support the use of patching.

Proper diagnosis is essential for optimal treatment. Bacterial corneal ulcer require intensive fortified antibiotic therapy to treat the infection. Fungal corneal ulcers require intensive application of topical anti-fungal agents. Viral corneal ulceration caused by herpes virus may respond to antivirals like topical acyclovir ointment instilled at least five times a day. Alongside, supportive therapy like pain medications are given, including topical cycloplegics like atropine or homatropine to dilate the pupil and thereby stop spasms of the ciliary muscle. Superficial ulcers may heal in less than a week. Deep ulcers and descemetoceles may require conjunctival grafts or conjunctival flaps, soft contact lenses, or corneal transplant. Proper nutrition, including protein intake and Vitamin C are usually advised. In cases of Keratomalacia, where the corneal ulceration is due to a deficiency of Vitamin A, supplementation of the Vitamin A by oral or intramuscular route is given. Drugs that are usually contraindicated in corneal ulcer are topical corticosteroids and anesthetics - these should not be used on any type of corneal ulcer because they prevent healing, may lead to superinfection with fungi and other bacteria and will often make the condition much worse.

Topical antibiotics may be reasonable.

One review has found that eye drops to numb the surface of the eye such as tetracaine improve pain; however, their safety is unclear. Another review did not find evidence of benefit and concluded there was not enough data on safety.

NSAID eye drops are also useful. A 2000 review found no good evidence to support medications that paralyze the iris. A 2017 review did not find evidence to suggest that topical NSAIDs would significantly reduce pain over standard-of-care treatments, but did find that NSAIDs could be associated with people using fewer pain medications by mouth.

Given that episodes tend to occur on awakening and managed by use of good 'wetting agents', approaches to be taken to help prevent episodes include:

- Environmental:

- ensuring that the air is humidified rather than dry, not overheated and without excessive airflow over the face. Also avoiding irritants such as cigarette smoke.

- use of protective glasses especially when gardening or playing with children.

- General personal measures:

- maintaining general hydration levels with adequate fluid intake.

- not sleeping-in late as the cornea tends to dry out the longer the eyelids are closed.

- Pre-bed routine:

- routine use of long-lasting eye ointments applied before going to bed.

- occasional use of the anti-inflammatory eyedrop FML (prescribed by an ophthalmologist or optometrist) before going to bed if the affected eye feels inflamed, dry or gritty

- use of a hyperosmotic (hypertonic) ointment before bed reduces the amount of water in the epithelium, strengthening its structure

- use the pressure patch as mentioned above.

- use surgical tape to keep the eye closed (if Nocturnal Lagophthalmos is a factor)

- Waking options:

- learn to wake with eyes closed and still and keeping artificial tear drops within reach so that they may be squirted under the inner corner of the eyelids if the eyes feel uncomfortable upon waking.

- It has also been suggested that the eyelids should be rubbed gently, or pulled slowly open with your fingers, before trying to open them, or keeping the affected eye closed while "looking" left and right to help spread lubricating tears. If the patient's eyelids feel stuck to the cornea on waking and no intense pain is present, use a fingertip to press firmly on the eyelid to push the eye's natural lubricants onto the affected area. This procedure frees the eyelid from the cornea and prevents tearing of the cornea.

Previous long-standing eye infection which possibly during childhood time recalled as being treated with antibiotic and/or hospitalized over long period of time.

The underlying cause must be treated as soon as possible to stop the disease process. Corticosteroid drop can be used to minimize the scarring on the cornea along with antibiotic cover. However, residual scarring cannot be avoided which can result in long term visual impairment and corneal transplantation is not suitable due to high rejection rate from the corneal vascularization.

Topical antibiotics are used at hourly intervals to treat infectious corneal ulcers. Cycloplegic eye drops are applied to give rest to the eye. Pain medications are given as needed. Loose epithelium and ulcer base can be scraped off and sent for culture sensitivity studies to find out the pathogenic organism. This helps in choosing appropriate antibiotics. Complete healing takes anywhere from about a few weeks to several months.

Refractory corneal ulcers can take a long time to heal, sometimes months. In case of progressive or non-healing ulcers, surgical intervention by an ophthalmologist with corneal transplantation may be required to save the eye. In all corneal ulcers it is important to rule out predisposing factors like diabetes mellitus and immunodeficiency.

Successful treatment of a dental abscess centers on the reduction and elimination of the offending organisms.

This can include treatment with antibiotics and drainage. If the tooth can be restored, root canal therapy can be performed. Non-restorable teeth must be extracted, followed by curettage of all apical soft tissue.

Unless they are symptomatic, teeth treated with root canal therapy should be evaluated at 1- and 2-year intervals after the root canal therapy to rule out possible lesional enlargement and to ensure appropriate healing.

Abscesses may fail to heal for several reasons:

- Cyst formation

- Inadequate root canal therapy

- Vertical root fractures

- Foreign material in the lesion

- Associated periodontal disease

- Penetration of the maxillary sinus

Following conventional, adequate root canal therapy, abscesses that do not heal or enlarge are often treated with surgery and filling the root tips; and will require a biopsy to evaluate the diagnosis.

The effect is normally temporary and after a period of six to eight weeks, the cornea usually returns to its former transparency. The recovery can be aided nonsurgically by bandaging with an osmotic saline solution. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory topical may be used to reduce the pain and inflammation.

In some cases, abscesses may be prevented by draining an existing pseudocyst which is likely to become inflamed. However, in most cases the developing of abscesses cannot be prevented.

Antibiotics are commonly used as a curing method for pancreatic abscesses although their role remains controversial. Prophylactic antibiotics are normally chosen based on the type of flora and the degree of antibiotic penetration into the abscess. Pancreatic abscesses are more likely to host enteric organisms and pathogens such as "E. coli", "Klebsiella pneumonia", "Enterococcus faecalis", "Staphylococcus aureus", "Pseudomonas aeruginosa", "Proteus mirabilis", and "Streptococcus" species. Medical therapy is usually given to people whose general health status does not allow surgery. On the other hand, antibiotics are not recommended in patients with pancreatitis, unless the presence of an infected abscess has been proved.

Although there have been reported cases of patients who were given medical treatment and survived, primary drainage of the abscess is the main treatment used to cure this condition. Drainage usually involves a surgical procedure. It has been shown that CT-guided drainage brought inferior results than open drainage. Hence, open surgical procedure is preferred to successfully remove the abscess. However, CT-guided drainage is the option treatment for patients who may not tolerate an open procedure. Endoscopic treatment is at the same time a treatment option that increased in popularity over the last years.

With the eye generally profusely watering, the type of tears being produced have little adhesive property. Water or saline eye drops tend therefore to be ineffective. Rather a 'better quality' of tear is required with higher 'wetting ability' (i.e. greater amount of glycoproteins) and so artificial tears (e.g. viscotears) are applied frequently. Also recommended is Muro 128 5% Ointment (Sodium Chloride Hypertonicity Ophthalmic Ointment, 5%) which is a great relief overnight, it lasts longer than most regular tears and provides protection for those with severe cases.

Nocturnal Lagophthalmos (where one’s eyelids don’t close enough to cover the eye completely during sleep) may be an exacerbating factor, in which case using surgical tape to keep the eye closed at night can help.

Whilst individual episodes may settle within a few hours or days, additional episodes (as the name suggests) will recur at intervals.

Where episodes frequently occur, or there is an underlying disorder, one medical, or three types of surgical curative procedures may be attempted:

use of therapeutic contact lens, controlled puncturing of the surface layer of the eye (Anterior Stromal Puncture) and laser phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK). These all essentially try to allow the surface epithelium to reestablish with normal binding to the underlying basement membrane, the method chosen depends upon the location & size of the erosion.

Anal abscesses are rarely treated with a simple course of antibiotics. In almost all cases surgery will need to take place to remove the abscess. Treatment is possible in an emergency room under local anesthesia, but it is highly preferred to be formally admitted to a hospital and to have the surgery performed in an operating room under general anesthesia.

Generally speaking, a fairly small but deep incision is performed close to the root of the abscess. The surgeon will allow the abscess to drain its exudate and attempt to discover any other related lesions in the area. This is one of the most basic types of surgery, and is usually performed in less than thirty minutes by the anal surgical team. Generally, a portion of the exudate is sent for microbiological analysis to determine the type of infecting bacteria. The incision is not closed (stitched), as the damaged tissues must heal from the inside toward the skin over a period of time.

The affected individual is often sent home within twenty-four hours of the surgery, and may be instructed to perform several 'sitz baths' per day, whereby a small basin (which usually fits over a toilet) is filled with warm water (and possibly, salts) and the affected area is soaked for a period of time. Another method of recovery involves the use of surgical packing, which is initially inserted by the surgical team, with redressing generally performed by hospital staff or a District Nurse (however, following the results of several double-blind studies, the effectiveness of surgical packing has come into question). During the week following the surgery, many patients will have some form of antibiotic therapy, along with some form of pain management therapy, consistent with the nature of the abscess.

The patient usually experiences an almost complete relief of the severe pain associated to his/her abscess upon waking from anesthesia; the pain associated with the opening and draining incision during the post-operative period is often mild in comparison.

An important factor is whether the involved tooth is to be extracted or retained. Although the pulp is usually still vital, a history of recurrent periodontal abscesses and significantly compromised periodontal support indicate that the prognosis for the tooth is poor and it should be removed.

The initial management of a periodontal abscess involves pain relief and control of the infection. The pus needs to be drained, which helps both of these aims. If the tooth is to be removed, drainage will occur via the socket. Otherwise, if pus is already discharging from the periodontal pocket, this can be encouraged by gentle irrigation and scaling of the pocket whilst massaging the soft tissues. If this does not work, incision and drainage is required, as described in Dental abscess#Treatment.

Antibiotics are of secondary importance to drainage, which if satisfactory renders antibiotics unnecessary. Antibiotics are generally reserved for severe infections, in which there is facial swelling, systemic upset and elevated temperature. Since periodontal abscesses frequently involve anaerobic bacteria, oral antibiotics such as amoxicillin, clindamycin (in penicillin allergy or pregnancy) and/or metronidazole are given. Ideally, the choice of antibiotic is dictated by the results of microbiological culture and sensitivity testing of a sample of the pus aspirated at the start of any treatment, but this rarely occurs outside the hospital setting.

Other measures that are taken during management of the acute phase might include reducing the height of the tooth with a dental drill, so it no longer contacts the opposing tooth when biting down; and regular use of hot salt water mouth washes (antiseptic and encourages further drainage of the infection).

The management following the acute phase involves removing any residual infection, and correcting the factors that lead to the formation of the periodontal abscess. Usually, this will be therapy for periodontal disease, such as oral hygiene instruction and periodontal scaling.

Early diagnosis, targeted treatment according to the severity of the disease, and regular monitoring of patients with neurotrophic keratitis are critical to prevent damage progression and the occurrence of corneal ulcers, especially considering that the deterioration of the condition is often poorly symptomatic.

The purpose of treatment is to prevent the progression of corneal damage and promote healing of the corneal epithelium. The treatment should always be personalized according to the severity of the disease. Conservative treatment is typically the best option.

In stage I, the least serious, treatment consists of the administration of preservative-free artificial tears several times a day in order to lubricate and protect the ocular surface, improving the quality of the epithelium and preventing the possible loss of transparency of the cornea.

In stage II, treatment should be aimed at preventing the development of corneal ulcers and promoting the healing of epithelial lesions. In addition to artificial tears, topical antibiotics may also be prescribed to prevent possible infections. Patients should be monitored very carefully since, being the disease poorly symptomatic, the corneal damage may progress without the patient noticing any worsening of the symptoms. Corneal contact lenses can also be used in this stage of the disease, for their protective action to improve corneal healing.

In the most severe forms (stage III), it is necessary to stop the progression towards corneal perforation: in these cases, a possible surgical treatment option is tarsorrhaphy, i.e. the temporary or permanent closure of the eyelids by means of sutures or botulinum toxin injection. This protects the cornea, although the aesthetic result of these procedures may be difficult to accept for patients. Similarly, a procedure that entails the creation of a conjunctival flap has been shown to be effective in the treatment of chronic corneal ulcers with or without corneal perforation. In addition, another viable therapeutic option is amniotic membrane graft, which has recently been shown to play a role in stimulating corneal epithelium healing and in reducing vascularisation and inflammation of the ocular surface . Other approaches used in severe forms include the administration of autologous serum eye drops.

Research studies have focused on developing novel treatments for neurotrophic keratitis, and several polypeptides, growth factors and neuromediators have been proposed[25]. Studies were conducted on topical treatment with Substance P and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1), demonstrating an effect on epithelial healing[26]. Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) play a role in the epithelial proliferation and differentiation and in the survival of corneal sensory nerves. Topical treatment with murine NGF showed to promote recovery of epithelial integrity and corneal sensitivity in NK patients[27]. Recently, a recombinant human nerve growth factor eye drop formulation has been developed for clinical use[28].

Cenegermin, a recombinant form of human NGF, has recently been approved in Europe in an eye drop formulation for neurotrophic keratitis.

A phoenix abscess is a dental abscess that can occur immediately following root canal treatment. Another cause is due to untreated necrotic pulp (chronic apical periodontitis). It is also the result of inadequate debridement during the endodontic procedure. Risk of occurrence of a phoenix abscess is minimised by correct identification and instrumentation of the entire root canal, ensuring no missed anatomy.

Treatment involves repeating the endodontic treatment with improved debridement, or tooth extraction. Antibiotics might be indicated to control a spreading or systemic infection.

Epithelial keratitis is treated with topical antivirals, which are very effective with low incidence of resistance. Treatment of the disease with topical antivirals generally should be continued for 10–14 days. Aciclovir ophthalmic ointment and Trifluridine eye drops have similar effectiveness but are more effective than Idoxuridine and Vidarabine eye drops. Oral acyclovir is as effective as topical antivirals for treating epithelial keratitis, and it has the advantage of no eye surface toxicity. For this reason, oral therapy is preferred by some ophthalmologists.

Ganciclovir and brivudine treatments were found to be equally as effective as acyclovir in a systematic review.

Valacyclovir, a pro-drug of acyclovir likely to be just as effective for ocular disease, can cause thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura/Hemolytic-uremic syndrome in severely immunocompromised patients such as those with AIDS; thus, it must be used with caution if the immune status is unknown.

Topical corticosteroids are contraindicated in the presence of active herpetic epithelial keratitis; patients with this disease who are using systemic corticosteroids for other indications should be treated aggressively with systemic antiviral therapy.

The effect of interferon with an antiviral agent or an antiviral agent with debridement needs further assessment.

If left untreated, an anal fistula will almost certainly form, connecting the rectum to the skin. This requires more intensive surgery. Furthermore, any untreated abscess may (and most likely will) continue to expand, eventually becoming a serious systemic infection.

Herpetic stromal keratitis is treated initially with prednisolone drops every 2 hours

accompanied by a prophylactic antiviral drug: either topical antiviral or an oral agent such as acyclovir or valacyclovir. The prednisolone drops are tapered every 1–2 weeks depending on the degree of clinical improvement. Topical antiviral medications are not absorbed by the cornea through an intact epithelium, but orally administered acyclovir penetrates an intact cornea and anterior chamber. In this context, oral acyclovir might benefit the deep corneal inflammation of disciform keratitis.

The treatment of corneal perforation depends on the location, severity and the cause of damage

- Tissue adhesive can be used to seal small perforation, but this method cannot be used to treat perforations larger than 1 mm.

- Non infected corneal perforation generally heals when a pressure bandage is used.

- For certain types of corneal perforations, lamellar keratoplasty is used as treatment.

RPA's frequently require surgical intervention. A tonsillectomy approach is typically used to access/drain the abscess, and the outcome is usually positive. Surgery in adults may be done without general anesthesia because there is a risk of abscess rupture during tracheal intubation. This could result in pus from the abscess aspirated into the lungs. In complex cases, an emergency tracheotomy may be required to prevent upper airway obstruction caused by edema in the neck.

High-dose intravenous antibiotics are required in order to control the infection and reduce the size of the abscess prior to surgery.

Chronic retropharyngeal abscess is usually secondary to tuberculosis and the patient needs to be started on anti-tubercular therapy as soon as possible.