Eye pain and slight vision impairment

[Myeyehurts]

About 2.5 weeks ago, I was assaulted. Hit in head multiple times and face. I had a couple of bumps on my forehead and left side of head directly above left ear. I had a black left eye and a bloody nose.

Everything was fine minus pain. After about 1.5 weeks post incident, my head has started hurting where the bumps are (assuming it’s the healing process). Also, my left eye has some pretty constant pain and a slight degradation to the vision. It’s more apparent at night because it seems like the lights are distorted a little bit. I can still squint and see out of it. I have no peripheral shadowing, floaters, or loss of vision completely. No change in right eye.

Is it possible that the head pain healing, can cause eye pain, and that this will all go away within the next 2-4 weeks?  Thanks.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

It is never a good idea to wait with sympoms like this. You should see a primary care physician and an ophthalmologist as soon as possible.

[Myeyehurts]

I appreciate your advice. I saw an ophthalmologist today and he said there is no damage to my eyes. Pressures, acuity and everything were normal. I do have cataracts, which I had before the incident. He says those could be making the vision a little blurry, but the assault most likely would not have made the cataracts worse. He said he believes the vision will go back to completely normal within a few weeks if the slightly blurred vision in the one eye is a direct result of the assault.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

If you have cataracts then your vision with not return to 'normal' because normal is without cataracts.  The assault could have made the cataract worse it their were blows around on on the eye. Most of these cause "a black eye". In fact there is a type of cataract called traumatic cataract which comes on after and due to the trauma.  If thanks change for the worse or new sympoms appear return to the ophthalmologist for repeat exam