Introduction

A black eye isbruising to the tissue under the skin surrounding youreye.

It's usually caused by a blow to the face, such as apunch, or anaccident such as a Falls .

Sometimes, a black eye can occurafter cosmetic surgery to the face, such as a facelift or a nose operation.

The area aroundtheeye turns bluish or purple because tiny blood vessels under the skin burst and blood leaks out into surrounding soft tissue.

Your skin may be painful and swollen and may make it difficult to fully open your eye. Yourvision may alsobe temporarily blurred and you may have a headache .

Content supplied by the NHS Website

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 22 Aug 2016