Black Eye Symptoms

After an injury to the eye, it is important to distinguish between symptoms of black eye and those that might indicate a more serious head injury.

Black eye symptoms may include:

• pain around the eye
• swelling around the eye, which can be mild at first, then increasing later. Swelling may make it difficult to open the eye
• discoloration (like a bruise) around the eye. The skin around the eye may be red at first, then grows darker, progressing to purple, yellow, green or black
• blurred vision

Signs of a more serious head injury require medical attention, and may include the following:

• double vision
• vision loss
• blood on the eyeball surface
• inability to move the eye
• severe or ongoing headache
• fainting/loss of consciousness
• blood or fluid coming from the ears or nose