Sorry to tell you this - but your eye may take 2 weeks to clear up. When I fell down stairs and landed on my face (didn't break anything, but boyohboy did I have 2 black eyes, a hugely swollen forehead AND a black nose), it took 2 WEEKS for the black to go away. It slid down my face a bit every day as it faded. I looked like an abused wife. I was questioned several times in the ER by several different people - I guess to make sure I gave the same answers to be sure I hadn't been beaten up! Nope - fell down the stairs!

I sympathize with the old and stupid remark (after falling last Nov and shattering wrist). Aren't you glad there are so many 'doctors' here on the quilt board!! Keep ice on it until swelling goes down and may take several days.

My sympathies for your hurts. Hope the swelling goes down quickly as impaired vision is so irritating.

You can get something called Arnicare cream at the drug store, I think WalMart and Walgreen's may both have it, not sure, my sister-ini-law gave it to me, made from the Arnica Montana plant, a homeopathic type medicine; the doctor suggested it to my sister-in-law after her eye-lift to lessen the bruising, worked great; granddaughters use it for bruises too, they play volleyball and sometime hit the floor. It's sold for pain relief, muscle aches, stiffness and brusing, give it a try...

Take the used tea bag, let it cool and then put on the swollen eye. Sorry it happened. I fell off the beach in Florida years ago and had to go to the hospital. That's right, fell off the beach. It was rocky and I slipped, the ER staff got a laugh out of that one. No one falls off a beach!

Hope this makes you feel better. New Year's Eve in 2004, DH and I were walking through the light display at James Island when I fell and pretty much did the same thing. I am blind w/o my glasses which were destroyed. I hadn't had a drop of drink in months, maybe years but, of course, everyone assumed I had had a NYE bender! Without my glasses for a couple of days and with my new shiner, it was hard to dispute!

I was in an accident on vacation. My fault entirely, did not put my seat belt on thinking I was so far back in the van, I would be safe. Wrong !! I flew out of my seat and gashed my head on the roof and then my mouth hit the steel support of the seat in front of me. Broke a bone or two in my nose and my mouth swelled and then the whole area turned black. Did not hurt as bad as it looked and it looked awful. Hang in there and you will be okay sooner than you think.

Better to be bruised while hiking, than soft like a pillow from couch potatoing! Sending good thoughts for a speedy recovery! and MORE hiking!

(I fell off my bike last year and made a bruise on my leg that took almost a year to go away! Whew! Hope your's disappears faster than mine!)

Ice for the first 48 hrs. and then gentle moist heat! I walked off a curb Apr. 1 and did about the same thing. Hit my face and head so hard that I didn't feel the hit on my leg. Developed a large hematoma that took 4 mos. to heal. My face and head were better long before. I move a little slower these days and pay a little more attention. Multitasking just isn't my game anymore. I was trying to unlock the car with my key fob thingy and kept on walking, forgetting there was a curb to step down. Lesson learned.

Ouch......sorry you're hurting. Hope you are pampered and feel better soon.