Question
Hello Dr. Johnston,
I woke up this morning with a black eye? Under my eye and in the corner by the nose there is a bruise that is black and purple. My eye is fine and there is no discoloration in the eye itself, just below it in one eye. I am guessing it is a broken blood vessel that is bleeding under the skin and looks just like a "black eye". I was not hit or suffered any other type of trauma unless I scratched it in my sleep and was not aware of it. Should I see a doctor or wait and see if it gets worse or goes away on its own. I am 63 and in good health. I had taken two Ibuprofen in the evening for a sore knee from jogging. Other than that I am not on any medication. It is a mystery to me and I have not heard of this before. Should I be concerned?
Thank you for any information you can offer.
Answer
This is a curious occurrence. But for me it does not signal the need for an emergency visit. Why not wait to see what it looks like tomorrow? If it seems to be getting better (AND YOU ARE SURE YOU ARE OTHERWISE IN GOOD HEALTH) then I would attribute it to a fluke occurrence and let it heal on its own.
However, if your eye is sore, or the black area gets larger, you feel any type of pressure,dizziness, have a headache or in the event of any change for the worse, then I would go in to be seen. I am almost more inclined to have you see your internist though as opposed to an eye doctor. As you said, the eye is fine. It is the skin and the tissue under it that is affected.
Also, if this resolves without incident but then it recurs, I would definitely go in and be seen.
