
The hemorrhage will appear larger within the first 24 hours after its onset and then will slowly decrease in size as the blood is absorbed.Ĭall a primary care provider or ophthalmologist (a medical doctor who specializes in eye care and surgery) if the subconjunctival hemorrhage does not get better within two weeks or if it has happened multiple times.Īlso, call your health care provider if you have a hemorrhage in both eyes at the same time or if the subconjunctival hemorrhage coincides with a new onset of easy bruising or bleeding gums. If one blots the eye with a tissue, there should be no blood on the tissue. In a spontaneous subconjunctival hemorrhage, no blood will exit from the eye. The entire white part of the eye may occasionally be covered by the blood. The hemorrhage itself is an obvious, sharply outlined bright red area overlying the sclera. As the hemorrhage resolves, some people may feel very mild irritation of the eye or merely a sense of awareness of the eye. Mild pressure around the eye may also be experienced. When the bleeding first occurs, one may notice a sense of fullness in the eye or under the lid. Very rarely do people experience pain when the hemorrhage begins. Most of the time, no symptoms are associated with a subconjunctival hemorrhage other than seeing blood over the white part of the eye or "blood in the whites of the eye." Subconjunctival hemorrhage can also be non-spontaneous and result from hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, a severe eye infection, trauma to the head or eye, or after cataract surgery, other eye surgery, or eyelid surgery. The use of anticoagulant medication such as warfarin ( Coumadin, Jantoven) or other blood thinners. A medical disorder causing bleeding or inhibiting normal clotting. Certain infections of the outside of the eye ( conjunctivitis) where a virus or a bacteria weaken the walls of small blood vessels under the conjunctiva. Eye rubbing or inserting contact lenses. Straining/ vomiting or a Valsalva maneuver, increasing the pressure in the veins of the head, as in weight lifting or lying on an inversion table upside-down. The following can occasionally result in a spontaneous subconjunctival hemorrhage: Rarely there may be an abnormally large or angulated blood vessel as the source of the hemorrhage.
Many spontaneous subconjunctival hemorrhages are first noticed by another person seeing a red spot on the white of your eye. Since most subconjunctival hemorrhages are painless, a person may discover a subconjunctival hemorrhage only by looking in the mirror. They come from normal conjunctival blood vessels. Most subconjunctival hemorrhages are spontaneous without an obvious cause for the bleeding. A subconjunctival hemorrhage appears as a bright red or dark red patch on the sclera. These blood vessels are somewhat fragile and their walls break easily, resulting in a subconjunctival hemorrhage (bleeding under the conjunctiva). These blood vessels are usually barely visible but become larger and more visible if the eye is inflamed. The conjunctiva contains nerves and many small blood vessels. Patient Comments: Subconjunctival Hemorrhage - Symptoms and Signs.Patient Comments: Subconjunctival Hemorrhage - Treatments.Patient Comments: Subconjunctival Hemorrhage - Cause.Is it possible to prevent a subconjunctival hemorrhage?.What is the prognosis for subconjunctival hemorrhage?.What is the treatment for a subconjunctival hemorrhage?.Are there home remedies for a subconjunctival hemorrhage?.What specialists treat a subconjunctival hemorrhage?.How do health care professionals diagnose a subconjunctival hemorrhage?.What are subconjunctival hemorrhage symptoms and signs?.
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