The time-dependent appearance of black eyes

The time-dependent appearance of hematomas of the eyelids was investigated in 484 cases of head injury. In individuals with apparent signs of direct violence to the orbit or the nose, black eyes could be observed even without relevant post-infliction intervals. Similarly, in victims with fractures at the anterior base of the skull hematomas of the eyelids were found even though death had occurred rapidly within less than 30 min after trauma. Black eyes that can be explained exclusively by a seepage of blood from frontal scalp wounds appeared approximately 4 h after wound infliction at the earliest, indicating a minimum post-infliction interval. Since hemorrhages of the eyelids can also be induced postmortem by direct violence to the orbit, particularly in cases with hypostasis of the face, the presence of black eyes seems not to be an unambiguous sign of vital trauma.