Tache Noir refers to which postmortem finding?

• A. A dark red/brown stripe along the eyelid margin
• B. A dark red/brown stripe across the eye when the eyelid is not closed after death
• C. A blue discoloration of the sclera
• D. A black line on the cornea

Answer: (B)

Tache noire is a postmortem change of the eye caused by drying of the exposed surface after death when the eyelids are left open. The moisture on the conjunctiva and corneal surface evaporates, leaving a dark brown–red stripe across the visible part of the eye. This specific appearance—a dark stripe across the eye with the eyelids not closed—is what defines tache noire.

That’s why the description fits best: a dark red/brown stripe across the eye when the eyelid is not closed after death. The other options don’t describe this open-eye, drying-induced stripe: an eyelid-margin stripe isn’t what tache noire presents, blue discoloration of the sclera isn’t typical of this sign, and a black line on the cornea isn’t the characteristic finding either.