How long until you get sight back after boxing match?

Black-Tooth · Dec 13, 2010

Here's the question;

Say you were in a boxing match, bare knuckle, and your face/eyes were so badly hit they swelled up and you lost most of your sight, how long roughtly would it take for you to regain your sight, partial or full. I'm not asking how long the wounds would take to heal, but just how long until you could see again...

Any ideas?

Drachen Jager · Dec 13, 2010

Depends on the treatment. It's common practice in boxing to cut bad bruises on the face like that so the boxer can continue to fight, the excess blood is drained to reduce swelling then they put vaseline on it to stop the bleeding. I'm not sure if they do that any more though.

Cold will also help, aspirin will make it worse. I'd say he should be able to see again, at least moderately well within hours with treatment.

This article has some info.

Ingvanye · Feb 16, 2011

I was bashed by a boxer on a regular basis. Domestic. BUt many times my eyes were so swollen I couldn't see, and a couple of times my whole face was swollen to almost the height of my nose. Usually it was a day or so before the swelling subsided enough to open my eyes. Once or twice I couldn't open one eye for a good two days. But on those occasions I had stitches as well.

Hope that helps.

shaldna · Feb 16, 2011

Honestly it depends on the wounds and where they are. Anything form immediately to a couple of days.

Incidentally, there are less severe injuries from bare knuckle fighting than from glove fighting, so that might be something to look at also.

Ingvanye · Feb 17, 2011

I wouldn't necessarily agree that there are less severe injuries from bare knuckles than gloves. I spent a long time, after surviving head injuries and concussion, working with police to rescue victims of violence. I also have spent years in combat training since. I have seen far worse injuries inflicted with bare fists, than in gloved competition.

Nick Blaze · Feb 17, 2011

shaldna said:
Honestly it depends on the wounds and where they are. Anything form immediately to a couple of days.

Incidentally, there are less severe injuries from bare knuckle fighting than from glove fighting, so that might be something to look at also.

This I don't agree with. The second half, at least. Imagine the impact of a slap to the face. It hurt, doesn't it? Now use that exact same force with a needle to the face. When one punches, they punch with one or two knuckles, not every knuckle. This is because it increases the pounds of pressure per inch -- the same force directed into a smaller area. This adds much more stress to the area hit. A glove, as I have experienced, distributes the force more. You can't hit with the exact same amount of the glove as you would a knuckle. And, getting punched in the temple with gloves has a much lesser chance of cracking or breaking the temple.

Just words for thought.

shaldna · Feb 18, 2011

Ingvanye said:
I wouldn't necessarily agree that there are less severe injuries from bare knuckles than gloves. I spent a long time, after surviving head injuries and concussion, working with police to rescue victims of violence. I also have spent years in combat training since. I have seen far worse injuries inflicted with bare fists, than in gloved competition.

Nick Blaze said:
This I don't agree with. The second half, at least. Imagine the impact of a slap to the face. It hurt, doesn't it? Now use that exact same force with a needle to the face. When one punches, they punch with one or two knuckles, not every knuckle. This is because it increases the pounds of pressure per inch -- the same force directed into a smaller area. This adds much more stress to the area hit. A glove, as I have experienced, distributes the force more. You can't hit with the exact same amount of the glove as you would a knuckle. And, getting punched in the temple with gloves has a much lesser chance of cracking or breaking the temple.

Just words for thought.

I thought I was going to get challenged on this, but I generally check my facts before I post, so here ya go:

http://www.neatorama.com/2010/07/04/bare-knuckle-boxing-is-actually-safer-than-using-gloves/

http://www.murphybrothers.org/Spartaca/Bareknuckle.htm

http://sportales.com/martial-arts/bare-knuckle-fighting/

http://blogs.bettor.com/Boxing-safer-than-Bare-Knuckle-Boxing-a18518

http://www.fighttips.com/forum/gene...-bad-thing-fact-safer-than-modern-boxing.html

GregS · Feb 18, 2011

Gloves and knuckles produce different kinds of injuries, but it's hard to use "severity" as a litmus. Knuckles will cut more, create fine fractures, and cause very specific types of contusions. Gloves cause more gross bruising.

The biggest difference between the two is that gloves decrease the level of overall punishment, decreasing the likelihood of knockouts and enabling a fighter to endure more. It also diminishes the effect on the attacker, so they can throw more. But the effects are cumulative, which leads to more severe overall injuries (and it's why there are way more fatalities in boxing than any other combat sport, including MMA and stickfighting).

In terms of healing, you can have a window depending on how severe the beating, how it was administered, and what attention the recipient got. On the low end it could be hours or overnight. On the long end a few days.

If you decide where on the scale you want to be I'd be happy to give you some ideas. Short version, though: The more ice, rest, and compression, the quicker they'll heal. Bleeding does also help, though most fighters try to avoid it because it creates scar tissue which can re-open later.

whacko · Feb 18, 2011

Why challenge a Belfast girl?

But as for the OP, black eyes are one thing. Wake up in the morning and you're still dizzy, bloodshot eyes, sore head... go straight to hospital.

Not that us Glaswegians know anything about fisticuffs of course....

Regards

Whacko

How long until you get sight back after boxing match?

Black-Tooth

Drachen Jager

Professor of applied misanthropy

Ingvanye

Somebody moved the goal posts...

shaldna

The cake is a lie. But still cake.

Ingvanye

Somebody moved the goal posts...

Nick Blaze

Jun-Ikkyu

shaldna

The cake is a lie. But still cake.

GregS

whacko

Keeping up with the class