Usually, an abrasion is fully healed in as few as 48 hours. A hyphema may result from a blunt injury or blow to the eye which breaks blood vessels, leading to an intraocular hemorrhage. This injury can lead to an acute increase in the eye pressure, causing intense pain. The vision is usually very blurry and the inflamed eye is very light sensitive. Three of the hyphemas I treated last year resulted from baseball injuries.
Treatment includes topical steroid drops along with strict bed rest to prevent re-bleeding.
If the eye re- bleeds within the first five days after the original injury, the chance of long term complications greatly increases. There is about a 20 percent chance of developing glaucoma in an eye that has had a hyphema. Orbital fractures, or damage to the bones surrounding the eye are also very common. They result from high velocity blows to the region surrounding the eye. Again, baseball injuries are commonly associated with orbital fractures.