Eye Diseases and Conditions Slideshow Pictures Pink Eye Slideshow Pictures Cataracts Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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When to Seek Medical Care

Most black eyes are minor injuries that heal on their own in a few days with ice and pain medications.An ophthalmologist should examine the injured eye to make surethat no significant injury to the eye has occurred.

• Call your doctor if these conditions develop with a black eye:
  
  
  • Changes in vision
    
    
  • Severe pain continues
    
    
  • The swelling is not related to an injury
    
    
  • Signs of infection (for example, warmth, redness, pus-like drainage).
    
    
  • You are unsure about treatment or concerned about symptoms.
    
    
  • Behavioral changes, forgetfulness, or lethargy
    
    
  • Nausea, vomiting, and/or dizziness
    
    
  • Swelling does not start to improve after a few days.
  
  
• Seek immediate medical care for these conditions:
  
  
  • Changes in or loss of vision, especially double vision
    
    
  • Inability to move the eye itself (for example, unable to look in different directions)
    
    
  • Any injury in which you think an object pierced the eye or may be inside the eyeball
    
    
  • Obvious blood in the eye itself
    
    
  • Deformity to the eye or fluid leaking from the eyeball
    
    
  • Any lacerations (cuts) to theeye area
  
  
• Go to a hospital's emergency department if you have signs of a serious head or facial injury:
  
  
  • Broken bones
    
    
  • Broken teeth
    
    
  • Loss of consciousness (knocked out)
    
    
  • Change in behavior after the injury
    
    
  • Nausea, vomiting, and/or dizziness after the injury
    
    
  • Inability to walk after the injury
    
    
  • Blood or clear fluids from the nose or the ears
    
    
  • Lacerations to the face or the head
    
    
  
  
• People who take blood thinners, [for example, warfarin (Coumadin)], or those with a history of bleeding problems such as hemophilia, should go to a hospital's emergency department.
  
  
• Swelling either after a bee sting near the eye or from a suspected infection of the eye should be evaluated by a doctor.