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Ah, someone got a good punch in you, ha? Hope the other person looks worse though! Read on to learn how to get rid of black eye fast!
As you must know, a black eye is a dark and round bruise around the eye, although the bruising around the eyes will also sometimes be accompanied by swelling around the eye socket.
It occurs due to a pool of blood under the skin around the eye injury. This eye injury occurs when you get hit in the face or near the eyes. In some cases, they may also develop as an after-effect of eye surgery or Botox.
6 Amazing Home Remedies to Get Rid of Black Eye
Medically a black eye is known as Periorbital Hematoma1. It refers to a condition where blood gets collected under your skin, in this case, around the eye. To know how to get rid of black eye, read on!
1. How Long for a Black Eye to Heal?
Black eye injuries are not serious and get healed within two weeks. However, they can also indicate a serious injury, like a fracture.
In such cases, it is advisable to see a doctor if the pain persists for longer. Let us find out 6 home remedies to get rid of black eye.
2. Causes of Black Eyes
Several causes can lead to a black eye. An assault, accident, or knock to the eye area can leave bruised skin around the eye socket.
A fracture in the base of the skull 2can result in a condition called “Raccoon Eyes.” Under this condition, the blood settles under the eyes. Sometimes, the blood flow from the forehead settles under the eye socket due to gravity which can also cause black eyes.
Dental, nasal or cosmetic surgeries can also result in black and blue bruising. It can also be due to any allergic reaction or other health condition.
Any underlying infection or sinus can also cause a black eye. In such cases, the black eye will also result in unbearable headaches and nausea.3
3. Symptoms of a Black Eye
Severe pain around the eyes is one of the first symptoms. Pain will be accompanied by swelling around the eyes that will be mild in the initial stages and increase later. Increased swelling can cause great difficulty in opening the eyes.
The black eye results in discoloration around the eyes4. Black eyes will result in black and blue bruising. Initially, the bruise will be red, turn darker later, and then purple or yellow, depending on the healing stage.
A more serious injury like a skull fracture can result in double vision, blurry vision, vision loss, nausea, or loss of consciousness. A skull fracture can also result in symptoms like blood flow from the eyes or ears.
4. Home Remedies for Treating Black Eye
Following are the black eye home remedies:
4.1 Apply Ice Pack
Applying an ice pack to the bruised area will help to reduce pain and swelling. The cold compress is to be applied to the bruise for a maximum of 20-30 minutes at a stretch.
Do not place ice directly over the bruising. Make sure you use a clean thin cloth or towel to cover the ice pack before placing it on the skin.
It is a myth that raw meat can absorb fluid accumulated near the eye. However, there is no scientific proof to prove the same. Placing raw meat on the eyes will not heal your black eye! On the contrary, bacteria present in raw meat will complicate matters by triggering an eye infection.
You can also substitute it with frozen peas covered, frozen vegetables, or cold cucumber. The cold compress provided by these will help to relax the blood vessels around the black eye5. It will also reduce the pain and speed healing.
4.2 Apply Warm Compress
You can apply a warm compress to the black eye after 48 hours of injury. A gentle pressure of the warm compress will help in soothing the blood vessels and help in flow. It can increase blood flow and significantly reduce pain. There are many ways to make a warm compress.
(A) A towel soaked in hot water and placed on the affected skin for 20 minutes is the easiest way to apply a warm compress.
(B) We can make a heating pad at home by microwaving a towel in a zip lock. Ensure the zip lock is microwave-safe. Always use gloves to handle the towel to avoid accidentally hurting yourself.
(C) We can make a warm compress using socks and rice. Put the rice inside the socks in the foot part and microwave the socks for around 15 minutes.
4.3 Head Elevated While Lying Down
Keeping your head elevated while lying down will prevent the blood from accumulating under the eye6. You can make use of an extra pillow to prop up your head. If you have a recliner at home, you can choose to sleep in the recliner till the swelling subsides.
4.4 Avoid Pressing or Further Injury
In most cases, the black eye worsens due to undue pressing or further injury to the bruise. Black eyes have to be dealt with very carefully. Any small mistake can aggravate the bruising and make the healing stages complicated.
Avoid exercising or laying any outdoor games until the bruise heals completely.
4.5 Over-the-Counter Medicines
Non-steroidal drugs, like ibuprofen, can help to reduce pain or swelling. Using Aspirin can cause increased bleeding, hence should be avoided.
4.6 Healthy Diet
A healthy diet can help strengthen the blood vessels, prevent bruising, and speed healing.
Pineapples contain enzymes called bromelain that can prevent inflammation and reduce swelling. Have plenty of water and other fluids, and keep yourself hydrated.
Try to have zinc-rich food, such as shellfish, legumes, and spinach to help strengthen the blood tissues. Supplement them with food rich in proteins but low in saturated fats and carbohydrates, such as fish, tofu, and chicken.
A deficiency in vitamin K can also be an initiator of getting bruised easily. So, to minimize the risk of black and blue bruising, have leafy vegetables, soybeans, and berries like strawberries and blueberries.
5. Black Eye Healing Stages
When you use remedies to get rid of black eye, you have to be patient with it.
Stage 1: A red or purple bump appears around the injured eye. Blood rich in oxygen will accumulate around the eye socket.
Stage 2: Hemoglobin is broken down, and the blood loses its oxygen; the bruise turns black or blue.
Stage 3: The pooled blood is broken down, and after 5-10 days, it turns to lighter green or yellow.
Stage 4: In some 15-20 days, the bruise around the eye area turns light brown and becomes unnoticeable.
6. Factors That Prevent Faster Healing
It is impossible to heal quickly, especially with bruises around both eyes, however, we have listed the most effective ways to get rid of black eye. Sometimes, the higher severity of bruising makes the healing process longer than when you have a smaller bruise.
The age of the person is another factor. Aged people have thinner skin and are weaker, which can delay the healing of black eyes.
Similarly, any underlying medical condition can also make the injury worse. In such cases, most black eyes take a longer time to heal.
Black eyes rarely heal within 24 hours. The best you can do is to take urgent care and treat the injuries carefully.
7. Consult a Doctor
If your black eye injury causes intense pain or concussion, it is advisable to seek medical attention. The head injury which caused black in the first place can also result in a skull fracture. So, if you experience dizziness, severe headache, trouble with memory, or trouble seeing, it indicates a medical emergency.
The eye area is sensitive, hence you must take medical help if you do not see any improvement after using the home treatment.
Also, while using over-the-counter drugs, it is always better to have professional medical advice. It is, therefore, better to call your doctor, and they can advise on diagnosis or treatment.
Health is wealth, so see a doctor if you have any doubts.
8. Preventing Black Eye Injuries
“Prevention is better than cure“. Following are a few recommended ways to prevent getting a black eye. But of course, if you get in a fight and are searching for ways to get rid of black eye, the above-mentioned measures can help.
(A) Always wear a helmet when riding a bike. Undertake market research to identify good standard helmets.
(B) Wear proper PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) while playing or working.
(C) Always have nutritious food, including Vitamin K, protein, and Vitamin C. This will improve immunity and thereby reduce skin inflammation.
9. Summary
Black eye injury is not considered life-threatening or serious. Most bruises heal on their own within 10- 20 days. The pain lasts for the initial two to three days and not afterward. You can follow the health tips that have been suggested in the article.
Cold or warm compression will help in regaining your health. Also, have food rich in vitamins, zinc, and proteins to avoid having a black eye.
Most black eyes do not indicate severe injury. However, seek immediate medical care and treat injuries if you have persistent severe pain. Increased bleeding also indicates the need for professional medical advice.
Now that you know how to get rid of black eye, keep in mind to not overdo it, as you can harm your eyes in the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is eye black permanent?
The majority of black eyes are caused by physical harm, and they typically fully recover on their own in a maximum of 3 weeks.
2. Is eye black easy to remove with eye-stickers?
It should be noted that black eye stickers for relief are considerably simpler to use and painless. Simply grip the tip of each sticker, peel it free, and dispose of it.
3. Can toothpaste help a black eye?
Toothpaste is believed to aid in thinning the clot and boosting blood flow. You can notice an improvement after a single night, although it can require several treatments to eradicate the bruise.
Take care of your health and follow up care for the black eye as instructed by your doctor. Now that we have answered the question of how long it takes to heal a black eye, let us try not to get one, alright?
- Rosdeutscher, John D., and Wayne K. Stadelmann. “Diagnosis and treatment of retrobulbar hematoma resulting from blunt periorbital trauma.” Annals of plastic surgery 41.6 (1998): 618-622. ↩︎
- Gurdjian, E. S., John E. Webster, and H. R. Lissner. “The mechanism of skull fracture.” Radiology 54.3 (1950): 313-339. ↩︎
- Cacho‐Asenjo, Elena, et al. “Factors associated with headache and nausea during magnetic resonance–guided focused ultrasound for tremor.” Movement Disorders Clinical Practice 8.5 (2021): 701-708. ↩︎
- Vasudevan, Biju, and M. P. S. Sawhney. “Violaceous discoloration around the eyes.” Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology 75 (2009): 549. ↩︎
- Martinez-Perez, M. Elena, et al. “Segmentation of blood vessels from red-free and fluorescein retinal images.” Medical image analysis 11.1 (2007): 47-61. ↩︎
- Bill, A. N. D. E. R. S. “Blood circulation and fluid dynamics in the eye.” Physiological reviews 55.3 (1975): 383-417. ↩︎
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