5 Things You Need To Know About Subconjunctival Hemmorhage

Your eyes are delicate, and it's very easy to injure them. Bleeding on the surface of your eye could be a sign of a common eye injury, a subconjunctival hemorrhage.

What is a subconjunctival hemorrhage?

A subconjunctival hemmorrhage is a common eye injury. When blood vessels inside your eyes break, blood seeps out and gets trapped beneath the conjunctiva, the clear lining that protects your eye. This can cause small red dots on the eye, or it can make your entire eye turn bright red.

How does this injury occur?

There are many ways that a subconjunctival hemorrhage can begin. The blood vessels inside your eyes are delicate and can be broken by doing everyday activities. You may not even remember what caused your injury. Here are a few possible causes:

Sneezing
Strong cough
Vomiting
Rubbing your eye
Lifting something heavy
Injury to your eye (for example, from a fall or a punch)
Using contact lenses
Underlying medical conditions (for example, high blood pressure or diabetes)

Is this injury serious?

A conjunctival hemorrhage looks really scary, but fortunately, it's actually not. This injury is usually harmless and will go away on its own after a week or so. If it doesn't go away in that time, you should see your optometrist to make sure that nothing else is wrong. If you find yourself getting frequent subconjunctival hemorrhages, you may have another underlying condition such as high blood pressure or diabetes and should see your family doctor.

Can your optometrist do anything to help?

Treatment isn't usually required for this injury since it will heal on its own. One treatment that can make some people feel better is eye drops. These drops will make your eye feel less painful and scratchy as it heals. Your optometrist can also give you medicated eye drops if your eye is very painful.

How common is this injury?

Subconjunctival hemorrhage is a very common eye injury. Studies have shown that it affects 2.9% of people at some point in their lives. It can happen at any age, but it's more common in people over 50. This is because the underlying medical causes of this injury, such as diabetes, are more common in that age group.

A subconjunctival hemorrhage looks scary, but it's a very common, usually harmless injury. Your eye will get better on its own, and if it doesn't, you should see your optometrist right away. For more information, contact a business such as Baldwin Optical & Hearing Aid Co.

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