How to Treat a Black Eye

How to Treat a Black Eye Dr. Travis Stork: As you may know, we have a new weekly call in the USA Weekend magazine called HealthSmart. And this weekend’s column is all about the do’s and the don’ts of how to handle eye injuries. Now every year more than 2.5 million eye injuries occur. Nearly half of them occur at home just doing everyday tasks. And one of the four most common eye injuries, this happens so often to kids and adults I see all the time in the ER, a black eye. And it's such a common eye injury. What it really is, is when you get hit in the eye believe it or not blood and other fluids, inflammatory fluids collect in that space around the eye which causes all that swelling, that discoloration around the eye. But there are a few simple things you can do at home. Over those first 24 to 48 hours, take a cool compress. Leave it up there for about five, 10 minutes. You certainly want to leave it off for about 15 to 20 then you can keep reapplying and alternate it. Do that for the first couple of days. That will actually decrease inflammation by constricting blood vessels. But here is where things change, after 48 hours, take something warm and apply the warm compress because then you’re opening up those blood vessels to get it in there and carry away all that inflammation. It will improve discoloration. But here is the funny thing, has anyone ever seen the all slab of meat trick? Bad idea, I'm going to tell you why. When you have a black eye, you could have a little opening, a little cuts in the skin. What's on meat? Bacteria, you don’t want that bacteria causing further skin infection. So while it may look cool on TV when the fighter do it, just go get a cold compress. Dr. Andrew Ordon: Right that breaks up a good point. As you know I was a cut man for five time world champ, Vinnie Pazienza. I would go in the ring with him and at the end of his career, at the end of his fights I mean he was ragging bull. Look at him. And then I had another few hours after the fight to fix him up but great points you’re making about the ice. But if certain things happen after the injury, if you see prolonged increased redness, increase pain the eyes, a change in vision, those are all really important things you need to see your doctor immediately. Dr. Travis Stork: Did Vinnie ever need any surgeries or was it all? Dr. Andrew Ordon: After we fight at the end I mean he’d finish the fight. We do like two to three hours of work--suture him up and kept getting up while I was working on him but-- Dr. Travis Stork: Did he ever throw a hook at you when you? Dr. Andrew Ordon: No, he is pretty tough, more pain. Dr. Travis Stork: Well little note for everyone. He wears his very many Vinnie coat, Vinnie Pazienza jacket every single day when we show up at work. 7 A.M., I walk in and he’s wearing his little Vinnie Pazienza fighter jacket. And it usually he doesn’t have it--either and-- Dr. Andrew Ordon: He watches the show, he’s a fan. Dr. Travis Stork: Hey, thanks for watching Vinnie. Well you can also find a list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to other injuries in our HealthSmart column this weekend in U.S.A. Weekend magazine. So, make sure to check it out. And also a complete listing of newspapers featuring U.S.A. Weekend magazine is available if you just go to our website thedoctorstv.com.