Most black eyes  are nothing to worry about. Occasionally black eye could be an indication of something more serious. The blue/black coloring at the back of your child’s  eye is caused by blood pulling under the skin of the eyelid  and the area around the eye. This can happen after trauma to the eye. In this case, you will want to be sure that the eye isn’t injured . This condition can also happen because of trauma to the forehead.

You should check with your doctor to find out if your child’s black eye is just a bruise. This is especially important if you do not know how it happened. If your child had this condition after a head injury and has nosebleeds and bleeding from the white part of his eye, then he probably needs to see a doctor.

Your child needs urgent medical attention if he is :

• having vision problems
• in severe pain
• not  able to move his eyes normally

Your child can experience black eye as a result of allergies. This can cause subtle darkening under both eyes and  is known as allergy shiners .

How to treat black eye ?

If it a  simple black eye that is nothing more than bruising and the chid is comfortable  , give him  the appropraite dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen if the child is 6 months or older.

If there is swelling and the child can tolerate it, you can apply ice pack for 15 minute periods  several times a day during the first 48 hours.

Fill a resealable plastic bag with ice cubes and water  or partially thawed package of frozen peas  or corn. This  will work if you dont have  an  icepack handy. Then wrap it with a wash cloth or paper towel before putting it on the child’s skin. Hold it in place while you try to keep the child occupied with a book or other calm activity. Place the pack gentle  around the eye and not on the eye itself.

There icepack will help with the swelling but there is not much you can do with the bruising itself. Most black eyes  go  away within a week and 10 days. If it doesnt disappear within 14 days, contact your doctor.
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