Blunt Eye Injuries

A blunt eye injury is a type of injury in which you get hit hard in the eye, usually by an object such as a ball.

A blunt eye injury may damage your eyelid, eyeball, and the thin bones behind your eyeball.

Parts of the Eye

Symptoms depend on what parts of your eye are injured.

A lot of blunt eye injuries just involve the eyelids and tissue around your eye. This can result in:

• Bruising and swelling (black eye)

• Cuts in the eyelid or skin around your eye

• Redness of the white of your eye

Black Eye

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SCOTT CAMAZINE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Subconjunctival Hemorrhage

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DR P. MARAZZI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Sometimes, your eyeball is damaged. You could have scratches on your cornea (the clear layer over the center of your eye). The lens can be knocked loose. You could have bleeding inside your eye. The thin layer at the back of your eye that forms images (the retina) can be torn loose (detached retina). Sometimes, your eyeball even splits open. Eyeball injuries can cause pain and the following:

• Blurry vision

• Double vision (seeing two of everything)

• Blindness

Sometime blunt injuries push your eyeball in so hard it breaks the thin bones at the back of your eye socket. This is called a blowout fracture, which causes pain and sometimes:

• Your eye looks pushed in

• You have difficulty looking up

• Your cheek is numb just below your eye

Your doctor will check your vision and do an eye exam. If you have a lot of swelling, it can be hard for the doctor to examine your eye. You may need to go to an ophthalmologist (a doctor who specializes in eye problems) right away. The ophthalmologist will examine your eye with special instruments and may order a CT scan to get more information.

Treatment will depend on your specific eye injuries but usually includes:

• Ice packs

• Pain medicine

Bleeding in the eye may require bed rest so the bleeding doesn't get worse.

Some eye injuries require surgery.