First aid : Black eye

Healthpind Staff
Medically Reviewed : Dr. Singh , J.P, MBBS, MD, DNB

A black eye occurs when you get hit by an object or someone on the face or head. They can appear after surgery as well. A black eye is usually considered a bruise. The accumulation of fluids after the impact on the face or head can cause swelling and the eye to look black. The injury could be severe if both eyes are black after an impact. Sometimes the swelling around the eye is so much that the affected person cannot open the affected eye. A person with a black eye can also experience neck pain and blurred vision for some time. Specific injuries that may give you a black eye are seemingly not dangerous. However, you must check with the doctor to determine if they are serious injuries.

The first aid for a black eye

Apply a cold compress (not directly, but with a cloth around the cold pack) without applying pressure on the affected area for a few minutes at a time. Avoid chemical cooling packs, raw meat, or vegetable packs, and only use ice packs. Any leak in such packs can cause harm to the eye and lead to other infections.
Apply it right after the injury or as quickly as possible. It helps reduce swelling. The cold press can be used a few times a day for a few days.
Do not blow the nose or indulge in other activities that put pressure on the face.
Do not scrub the surrounding area of the eye (which has turned black). Even if you do, scrubging will not change the eye color. It takes time for the skin underneath to appear clear, and applying creams will not help. However, makeup may be used as a coverup. Be gentle to the area until it heals.
Check for any visible blood discharge in the eye (i.e., in the white part of the eye); if so, seek the ophthalmologist’s help.
For slight pain and discomfort, you may have over-the-counter medication.
After the swelling has stabilized, gently use warm presses on the black eye. Repeat it several times a day.

Time to heal a black eye

If the injury isn’t severe and there is no internal injury or fracture of the skull or bone, a black eye can heal in two weeks.
If the person is aged and has a chronic disease, the healing may take longer or need medical intervention.
Repeated injuries in the same place will take longer to heal.

Keeping your head elevated will prevent blood from pooling into the eye region.
Don’t put pressure on the bruised area. Use cold and warm compress gently.
Take a break from physical activities and work and rest.

When you get injured, the area may look red initially because of blood pooling under the skin, giving it a reddish tinge, which gets darkened as the hemoglobin breaks down. The swelling and the bluish tinge can give an affected person a blackeye for a few days. Ten days later, the hue under the eye would have turned yellowish-green, and the swelling would have reduced considerably. By the fifteenth day, the color would have gone on to become light brown and would be fading into your skin tone.

Blurring of vision
Double vision
Severe pain
Bruising around both eyes
Bleeding from the eye or nose
The eyeball or the pupil of the eye looks abnormal
The skin around the eye is split, and there is a cut on the eyelid
Behavioral changes
Fluid draining from the eye, nose, mouth, or nose

Medical assistance is also required if:

The discoloration worsens if the healing doesn’t happen. And if the swelling doesn’t cease.
You cannot move the eye, and the pain has increased over the days, and the surrounding regions, such as the cheek and teeth, feel numb. It may be a serious injury that needs the doctor’s attention.
There is vomiting or constant headaches and, in extreme cases, loss of consciousness;

A simple blackeye can go away with applying an ice pack for a few days and avoiding activities that put pressure on the face. The person needs to rest to prevent further bruising or swelling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Is it normal to get a black eye after hitting your head?

Not in each case will hitting your head result in a black eye. Sometimes, the trauma to the head or face can lead to bleeding and swelling beneath the skin around the eye, resulting in a black eye.

Q2. Can a black eye go away in 1 day?

It’s highly unlikely for a black eye to heal in just one day altogether. The discoloration is typically caused by blood pooling under the skin due to trauma. Healing time varies, but it usually takes several days to a couple of weeks for a black eye to fade as the body reabsorbs the blood.