Bursting Eye Blood Vessels

Did You Know? The average blink lasts for about 1/10^th of a second

In Newborn Infants, Subconjunctival Hemorrhage Can be Found as a Result of the Birth Process 

The Conjunctiva is the Thin Tissue that Covers the Sclera. It is the Outmost Protective Coating of the Eyeball

A broken blood vessel in the eye can appear as a a serious eye injury. The visual side effects are much more frightening to a patient than what is actually occurring.  

Please use this guide as a resource for knowledge and understanding of subconjunctival hemorrhage cause, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. 

01│Cause

The eye has many components, the conjunctiva is a membrane that covers the internal part of the eyelid and contains nerves and many small blood vessels. These blood vessels are usually barely visible but become larger and more visible if the eye is inflamed. These blood vessels are somewhat fragile and their walls break easily, resulting in a subconjunctival hemorrhage commonly known as an eye blood vessel burst.  There are many different reasons blood vessels may burst in the eye. Sometimes it can be difficult to find the exact cause of a hemorrhage, but some causes include:

• Eye trauma from a foreign object, impact, etc.
• A sudden increase in blood pressure as a result of heavy lifting, coughing, sneezing, laughing etc.
• Blood thinners
• Blood clotting disorder

02│Symptoms

Once a subconjunctival hemorrhage occurs there will be a significant red patch noticeable on the whites of the eyes. While the visual effects may seem frightening and cause concern, it is important to remain calm. Despite the eyes bloody appearance, there may be no pain or loss of vision. Less common symptoms include, light pressure, slight pain, or scratching feeling of the eye. If a patient is not suffering from vision loss, excessive pain, pressure, or external bleeding from the eye, a provider visit may not be necessary. Seek immediately medical attention if the subconjunctival hemorrhage is associated with:

• Pain
• Changes in vision (for example, blurry vision, double vision, difficulty seeing),
• A history of recent injury or trauma, and
• A history of bleeding disorder
• Experience a hemorrhage in both eyes

03│Diagnosis

While patients will most likely not seek a diagnosis from a medical professional, a simple quick history and explanation on what happened prior to the onset of the injury will help quickly diagnose the injury. There are typically no necessary tests to diagnose a subconjunctival hemorrhage.  

04│Treatment

Treatment is fairly simple and most incidents will heal within a week or two. Lubricant drops are used to relieve pain, itching or dryness. The drops cannot repair broken blood vessels but will help decrease irritation of the eye. It is important not to further agitate irritate the eye, so proper precautions should be taken as to not re-injure the eye.  

For more information on subconjunctival and other ophthalmologic conditions, please visit: http://www.aao.org   

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References

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/subconjunctival-hemorrhage/home/ovc-20231436 

http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/hemorrhage.htm