Eye Injury: First Aid for a Black Eye
Topic Overview
A black eye is a type of bruise. Simple bruises are treated with ice
and by elevating the head. The bruise should be gone in 2 to 3 weeks.
- Apply
ice or cold packs for 15 minutes 3 or 4 times a day during the first 48
hours to help reduce swelling. Place a cloth between the ice and the skin. The
sooner you apply a cold pack, the less swelling will occur.
- Do not
use chemical cooling packs. If the pack leaks, the chemicals could cause more
eye damage. Do not use a raw piece of meat on a black eye.
- Keep the
head raised to help reduce swelling.
- Be sure to look at the eyeball
for possible injury.
- After the swelling is gone,
warm compresses may relieve pain.
Medicine you can buy without a prescription
| Try an over-the-counter medicine to help
treat your fever or pain: |
|
|
Safety tips
| Be sure to follow these safety tips
when you use an over-the-counter medicine: |
- Carefully read and follow all directions
on the medicine bottle and box.
- Do not use more than the
recommended dose.
- Do not take a medicine if you have had an
allergic reaction to it in the past.
- If
you have been told to avoid a medicine, call your doctor before you take
it.
- If you are or could be pregnant, call your doctor before you
take any medicine.
-
Do not give aspirin to anyone younger than age 20
unless your doctor tells you to.
|
Credits
|
By
|
Healthwise Staff |
|
Primary Medical Reviewer
|
William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine |
|
Specialist Medical Reviewer
|
H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine |
|
Last Revised
|
November 2, 2011 |
Last Revised:
November 2, 2011
