Overview Of A Black Eye
A black eye is ultimately a bruise around the eye, and is often referred to as a shiner. When someone is hit with an object in the eye, the blood vessels of the eyelid and surrounding area are broken. The blood then collects under the skin causing the bruising. This bruise may seem darker and looks worse than a bruise on other parts of the body, but this is due to the skin around the eye being think and transparent.
Symptoms Of A Black Eye
The symptoms of a black eye include:
- Swelling around the eyelids and soft tissues
- Small areas of bleeding in the white of the eye
- The condition is going to go away on its own, but it will take time
Preventing Black Eyes
Almost any type of eye injury can be prevented. To decrease the chances of having an eye injury, follow these tips:
- Wear protective eyewear when doing anything that could cause eye injuries. Studies have shown that wearing this protective eye gear can decrease eye related injuries by almost 90%.
- Be sure that you wear your seat belt as this can help to protect your face from the airbags if you were to get into an accident.
Treating a Black Eye
To treat a black eye, you are going to want to use an ice pack or cold compress for around 15 minutes after getting hit in the eye. This can help to reduce the swelling, bruising and pain.
When to call a Doctor
Following an eye injury, if you start to show any of the following you should call a doctor:
- Vision troubles
- Difficulty focusing on objects
- Flashing lights or floaters being seen in the eye
- The eye appears to have sunken in
- The eye appears to be bulging from the socket
- There is numbness on the side of the face where the eye is injured
- There is a cut on the eye or the eyelid
A black eye generally will fade within a few weeks. Throughout this remedial period, it’s vital to safeguard the eye from additional harm by avoiding any events where added injury could take place, such as playing sport. You will see the shade of your black eye will alter as it started to get better. Though there is no magical treatment to cure a black eye immediately, there are a few measures that might aid you during the healing procedure. You can put a bag of frozen peas to reduce the swelling, massage the affected area gently, and take lots if vitamin C.