Description:

Black eye

A black eye is bruising and swelling around your eye, usually caused by a blow to the area, such as a punch or fall. It should get better within 2 to 3 weeks.

How to ease a black eye yourself

Do

gently hold an ice pack (or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a cloth) to the area around your eye for about 10 to 20 minutes at a time, and repeat regularly during the first 1 to 2 days
take painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen for any pain
after the first 2 days, gently apply a warm (not hot) heat pack or cloth to the area around your eye regularly during the day

Don’t

do not take aspirin, unless prescribed by a doctor, as this can make the bruising worse
do not press or rub the area around your eye
do not put ice directly on your skin

Urgent advice: Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if:

you have severe pain or swelling
you have a headache that does not go away, or blurry vision
the area around your eye is warm or leaking pus
your temperature is very high, or you feel hot and shivery
you're taking blood-thinning medicine (such as warfarin )
you have a bleeding disorder (such as haemophilia )

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

the black eye does not go away within 3 weeks

Urgent advice: Go to A&E if:

there's blood visible in your eye
you have an irregularly shaped pupil (the black dot at the centre of the eye)
you had a blow to the head and have bruising around both eyes
you have problems with your vision, such as double vision, loss of vision, seeing flashing light, halos or shadows, or pain when looking at a bright light
you cannot move your eye

Find an A&E department

Page last reviewed: 26 October 2020
Next review due: 26 October 2023