Do you have a bright red blood spot on your eye? That broken blood vessel leakage into the white part of your eye is what’s medically referred to as subconjunctival hemorrhage, or red eye for short. And although it may look serious, generally these spots are not much of a health concern.
Subconjunctival hemorrhage occurs because a tiny blood vessel, just under your conjunctiva, broke. And because the conjunctiva doesn’t quickly absorb blood, you are left with a slowly dissipating blood spot for a week or two.
Typically, red eye does not cause:
- pain
- discharge
- vision changes
However, your broken blood vessel may cause a scratchy feeling on your red eye surface.
A couple of health related situations that may contribute to or could have caused your subconjunctival hemorrhage are:
- hypertension
- some herbal supplements ~ ginkgo
- taking blood thinners ~ warfarin, aspirin
- sudden increase in pressure ~ sneezing, coughing, vomiting
Often, the actual cause of a broken blood vessel in the eye remains a mystery. Also, red eye is common in newborns, likely due to pressure changes during delivery.
No specific treatment is necessary for a subconjunctival hemorrhage. If the blood spot on your eye causes scratchy discomfort, then artificial tears may offer soothing red eye relief.