
Need to know how to treat a black eye? You may think you should slap a hunk of raw steak on it like you've seen in cartoons. Nothing could be further from the truth. The last thing you want to put on a black eye is a piece of bacteria-laden raw meat, risking an eye infection on top of your current problem. If you want to fix that black eye up quick, check out these black eye treatments straight from the health professionals.
How to Treat a Black Eye
A black eye is the result of bleeding underneath the skin around your eye. This is the result of trauma to the blood vessels around the eye. While a simple black eye is not necessarily serious, it can lead to serious complications.
The best thing you can do for a black eye is to ice it, take a pain killer like acetaminophen or ibuprofen and rest. You need to be very careful when icing your black eye. The area around your eye is very, very sensitive, and it's already been traumatized. You'll need to use a medical ice bag with a thick rubber casing or wrap the bag of ice in a cloth so you don't use too cold of an ice treatment on your eye. You don't want to freeze or damage the tissue around your eye.
Ice the black eye for 10 minutes at a time, giving it a 5-minute break between icing sessions. Be careful not to press hard or rub the tissue around your eye. Treat the area gently.
If you see blood in the whites of your eyes or if you develop a double black eye like a raccoon's mask, go to a doctor immediately. These are signs of serious injury.
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