Black Eye

The Basics

Written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate пїЅ пїЅ

What is a black eye? " пїЅ A black eye happens when something hits your eye, cheek, or nose and causes a bruise above or under your eye. Bruises happen when blood vessels under the skin break, but the skin isnt cut. When the blood vessels break, blood leaks into the tissues under the skin and makes it change color. пїЅ пїЅ

A black eye starts off red in color, and then turns blue or purple. As it heals, a black eye can turn green and yellow. Often, the swelling gets worse in the first day after the injury or when you wake up the next morning. Most black eyes heal in 1 to 2 weeks, but some take longer. пїЅ пїЅ

How is a black eye treated? " пїЅ A black eye doesn't need treatment. It will get better on its own. But you can "ice " пїЅ your black eye to make it feel better and help it heal. To do this, put a cold gel pack, bag of ice, or bag of frozen vegetables on the injured area every 1 to 2 hours, for 15 minutes each time. Put a thin towel between the ice (or other cold object) and your skin. Use the ice (or other cold object) for at least 6 hours after your injury. Some people find it helpful to ice longer, even up to 2 days after their injury. пїЅ пїЅ

You can also take medicines such as ibuprofen (sample brand names: Advil, Motrin) to help with the pain and swelling. But people who have certain conditions or take certain medicines should not take ibuprofen. If you aren't sure whether you can take ibuprofen, ask your doctor or nurse. пїЅ пїЅ

Should I see a doctor or nurse? " пїЅ See your doctor or nurse right away if you have any of these symptoms with your black eye: пїЅ пїЅ

Fever
Any problems seeing, such as blurred vision or double vision
Very bad pain in your eye, especially when trying to move it from side to side
Bleeding from the eye
Nausea and vomiting
A slow heart rate
Trouble breathing through your nose
Your nose looks crooked.

Will I need tests? " пїЅ Maybe. Most people don't need tests for a black eye, but your doctor might want you to have an eye exam. Plus, if you are having trouble seeing or moving your eye, your doctor might take a special kind of X-ray called a CT scan. The CT scan will show if any of the bones around your eye are broken. It can also show if you have damage to the eyeball itself. пїЅ пїЅ

All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete. пїЅ пїЅ

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014. пїЅ пїЅ

Topic 16985 Version 3.0 пїЅ пїЅ

Release: 22.8 - C22.208 пїЅ пїЅ

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Black Eye

The Basics

Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer

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