BLACK EYE

This morning’s racquetball game was going so well-until your opponent hit that unbelievable shot that bounced off the wall and hit you right in the eye. After he finished apologizing profusely and the pain subside somewhat, you picked up your ego and went home. But now you’re beginning to resemble a prizefighter who lost the prize! Your eyelid is nearby swollen shut, the area around your eye is turning black and blue, and the throbbing pain is back in full force. You’re starting to wonder if there’s more to this injury than meets the eye.
A black eye is simply a hemorrhage around the eye. The blood underneath the skin comes through as a purplish color. While there are many disease and conditions that can cause black eye. If the swelling comes down rapidly and your vision is good, it is not likely that there is any serious damage to the eye.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES “6 CARE TIPS”

ICE THE AREA
This will reduce the swelling and numb some of the initial pain. Hold an ice or some ice cubes wrapped in a washcloth on the eye. Putting crushed ice in a plastic bag and placing the bag on the top of a cold washcloth over the eye also works well.

PACK IT IN POPCORN OR PEAS
A bag of frozen, unpopped popcorn kernels or frozen peas placed over a washcloth on the affected eye can also help cool the area and bring some relief.

CLEAN IT UP
Clean any small lacerations with mild soap and water. Then continue to keep them clean and dry. This will help to keep the area from becoming infected with bacteria. Sometimes the tissue around the eye can actually split because the soft tissue is being pushed against a hard surface of underlying bone. You can get a considerable hemorrhage from this, which can leave a bit of a lump afterward.

AVOID PRESSING ON THE EYE ITSELF
The area has already been traumatized enough, and pressing on it will only cause further trauma. So be gentle when you apply an ice pack or clean the area.

KEEP YOUR CHIN UP
Look and feel a little like Rocky Balboa. Be thankful you can see yourself in the mirror, and try to resign yourself to added color for a while. The discoloration tends to the last. It will lessen during that time, but it won’t fade completely for a couple of weeks or so.

WEAR GOGGLES
As a true with so many injuries, the best treatment is prevention. While you may not necessary like the way you look in goggles, wearing them can help you ensure that you’ll be able to see the way you look.
Any sport that involves close contact with other individuals and or the use of a small ball of some sort is likely to put you at risk for a black eye. The majority of black eyes we see are caused by the eye being hit by an elbow, hand, or knee or by an object small enough to fit inside the bony structure around the eye.