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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Exams and Tests

For most black eyes, a basic physical examination is all that is required.

• The doctor asks about the facts regarding the injury and looks for any associated injuries or symptoms.
  
  
• The basic physical examination includes checking the patient's vision, shining a light into the eyes to look at the pupils and inside the eye itself for any injury, testing the motion of the eye (following the doctor's finger with the eyes), and examining the facial bones around the eye.
  
  
• Depending on what is found, the doctor may perform additional testing.
  
  
  • The doctor may put a dye on the eye and look at the eye under a special light to check for abrasions to the eyeball or foreign bodies (objects).
    
    
  • If the doctor suspects you may have a fracture to the bones of the face or around the eye (the orbit), you may have an x-ray or a CT scan. This may also be done if the doctor suspects that something is inside the eye.
    
    
  • If there are any special concerns, the doctor will refer the patient to an appropriate specialist, such as an ophthalmologist (a medicaldoctor who specializes in eye care and surgery), for follow-up care.