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Black eye
 
 
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A black eye (periorbital hematoma
Hematoma

A hematoma, or haematoma, is a collection of blood outside the blood vessels, generally the result of hemorrhage, or more specifically, internal bleeding....
) or 'shiner' (colloquial) is bruising around the eye
Eye

Eyes are Organ that detect light, and send signals along the optic nerve to the visual system and other areas of the brain. Complex optical systems with resolving power have come in ten fundamentally different forms, and 96% of animal species possess a complex optical system....
 commonly due to an injury to the face rather than an eye injury
Eye injury

Physiology or chemical injuries of the eye can be a serious threat to Visual perception if not treated appropriately and in a timely fashion. The most obvious presentation of ocular injuries is redness and pain of the affected eyes....
. The name is given due to the color of bruising.

When bilateral, it is also known as raccoon eyes
Raccoon eyes

Raccoon eyes or periorbital ecchymosis is a medical sign of basal skull fracture. It results from blood from skull fracture tracking down into the soft tissue around the eyes....
.

black eye injuries are minor and will heal themselves in about one week. Trauma near the eyebrow
Eyebrow

The eyebrow is an area of thick, delicate hairs above the eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the Supraorbital ridge. Their main function is to protect the eye, but they are also important to human communication and facial expression....
 or places not directly on the eye may make the eyelid
Eyelid

An eyelid is a thin fold of skin that covers and protects an eye. With the exception of the prepuce and the labia minora, it has the thinnest skin of the whole body....
 go black.

The dramatic appearance (discoloration purple black and blue and swelling) does not necessarily indicate a serious injury.






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A black eye (periorbital hematoma
Hematoma

A hematoma, or haematoma, is a collection of blood outside the blood vessels, generally the result of hemorrhage, or more specifically, internal bleeding....
) or 'shiner' (colloquial) is bruising around the eye
Eye

Eyes are Organ that detect light, and send signals along the optic nerve to the visual system and other areas of the brain. Complex optical systems with resolving power have come in ten fundamentally different forms, and 96% of animal species possess a complex optical system....
 commonly due to an injury to the face rather than an eye injury
Eye injury

Physiology or chemical injuries of the eye can be a serious threat to Visual perception if not treated appropriately and in a timely fashion. The most obvious presentation of ocular injuries is redness and pain of the affected eyes....
. The name is given due to the color of bruising.

When bilateral, it is also known as raccoon eyes
Raccoon eyes

Raccoon eyes or periorbital ecchymosis is a medical sign of basal skull fracture. It results from blood from skull fracture tracking down into the soft tissue around the eyes....
.

Presentation and prognosis

Most black eye injuries are minor and will heal themselves in about one week. Trauma near the eyebrow
Eyebrow

The eyebrow is an area of thick, delicate hairs above the eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the Supraorbital ridge. Their main function is to protect the eye, but they are also important to human communication and facial expression....
 or places not directly on the eye may make the eyelid
Eyelid

An eyelid is a thin fold of skin that covers and protects an eye. With the exception of the prepuce and the labia minora, it has the thinnest skin of the whole body....
 go black.

The dramatic appearance (discoloration purple black and blue and swelling) does not necessarily indicate a serious injury. The fatty tissue along with the lack of muscle around the eye socket allows a potential space for blood accumulation with relatively minor injury. As this blood is reabsorbed, various pigments are released similar to a bruise
Bruise

A bruise, also called a contusion, is an injury to biological tissue in which the capillary are damaged, allowing blood to seep into the surrounding tissue....
, lending itself to the extreme outward appearance. Unless there is actual trauma to the eye itself, medical attention is generally not needed.

Associated conditions

Eye injury and head trauma may also coincide with a black eye. Some common signs of a more serious injury may include:
  • Double vision
    Diplopia

    Diplopia, commonly known as double vision, is the simultaneous perception of two images of a single object. These images may be displaced horizontally, vertically, or diagonally in relation to each other....
  • Loss of sight and or fuzzy vision
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Inability to move the eye or large swelling around the eye such as a hematoma
    Hematoma

    A hematoma, or haematoma, is a collection of blood outside the blood vessels, generally the result of hemorrhage, or more specifically, internal bleeding....
  • Blood or clear fluid from the nose or the ears
  • Blood on the surface of the eye itself or cuts on the eye itself
  • Persistent headache
    Headache

    In medicine a headache or wiktionary:cephalalgia is a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and sometimes neck. Some of the causes are benign while others are medical emergencies....


Treatment

Putting a raw steak
Steak

A steak is a slice of meat, typically beef. Most steaks are cut perpendicular to the muscle fibres, improving the perceived tenderness of the meat....
 on a black eye (an old wives' tale
Old wives' tale

An old wives' tale or old wives' saws is a type of urban legend, similar to a proverb, which is generally passed down by old wives to a younger generation....
) has long been known to have no medicinal value. Putting potentially bacteria-laden meat on a mucous membrane or an open skin injury can be dangerous.

Treatment for the black eye can include ice, heat, and anti-inflammatory medication.

If it was a severe blow that caused the black eye (something more than just bumping into a door), blowing one's nose could increase inflammation. Sometimes the injury fractures the bone of the eye socket, and blowing one's nose can force air out of the sinus adjacent to the socket. The air gets injected under the skin and makes the eyelids swell even more. It can also increase the chance of infection. Keep the head elevated (sleep with a few extra pillows, for example) to help limit swelling and pooling.