Eye, black
Introduction
A black eye isbruising to the tissue under the skin surrounding youreye.
It's usually caused by a blow to the face, such as apunch, or anaccident such as a Falls .
Sometimes, a black eye can occurafter cosmetic surgery to the face, such as a facelift or a nose operation.
The area aroundtheeye turns bluish or purple because tiny blood vessels under the skin burst and blood leaks out into surrounding soft tissue.
Your skin may be painful and swollen and may make it difficult to fully open your eye. Yourvision may alsobe temporarily blurred and you may have a headache .
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 22 Aug 2016
Introduction
A black eye is bruising to the tissue under the skin surrounding your eye.
What to do if you have a black eye
A black eye is not usually serious and you can usually look after it at home if there are no signs of a severe injury (see below). After a few days, the swelling around your eye will start to go down
When to go to A&E
Go to your nearestaccident and emergency (A&E) department immediately if: you have hit your head andhave two black eyes (this suggests a type of head injury known as a basilar skull fracture)
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