To take care of a black eye:

• Apply a cold compress soon after the injury. Using gentle pressure, place a cold pack, a cloth filled with ice — or even a bag of frozen vegetables — to the area around your eye. Take care not to press on the eye itself. Apply cold as soon as possible after the injury to reduce swelling. Repeat several times a day for a day or two.
• Apply warm or hot compresses. This may be helpful after a few days when the swelling has gone down. Repeat several times a day for a day or two.

Seek medical help if you:

• See blood in the white or colored parts of the eye.
• Have vision problems, such as double vision or blurred vision.
• Have severe pain, bruising around both eyes, or bleeding in an eye or from the nose.