What Is Subconjunctival Hemorrhage?

Subconjunctival Hemorrhage
 in my right eye

MYE DOMAIN ENTRY:

July 24, 2014

Being highly myopic and highly astigmatic, I'm compelled to wear toric contact lenses. Glasses are safer but lenses are more comfortable. I've been using them for decades and fortunately, I've encountered no serious complications for long-term use except last week when my right eye got red. 

Actually, it's my sister who first noticed redness in the right corner of my right eye. I did not feel any pain or itchiness. I was alarmed when I saw it totally red upon waking up the following morning. I didn't suspect it was a sore eye but I still went to the clinic and had it check.

It's my first time to be diagnosed with a so-called, subconjunctival hemorrhage. I was advised not to wear lenses for a week or two until the redness disappears completely.

What is Subconjunctival Hemorrhage?

It is similar to an ordinary bruise on the skin - it's like a bruise of the eye. It usually appears as a single, concentrated spot of red, or many scattered red splotches, on the white of the eye. The redness is blood under the conjunctiva, a clear membrane that covers the white of the eye (called the sclera) and the inner eyelids.

Seeing a subconjunctival hemorrhage on your eye can be alarming. Yet it is actually a common minor occurrence. It is almost always harmless and will heal on its own. It does not affect vision and generally does not cause pain. There are usually no sensations or symptoms, other than the appearance of the red spot. In fact, you may not even be aware that you have a subconjunctival hemorrhage until someone points it out or you look in the mirror. -Source

What are the causes?

The conjunctiva 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 may break easily.

• Sneezing
• Coughing
• Straining/vomiting
• Increasing the pressure in the veins of the head, as in weight lifting
• Eye rubbing or inserting contact lenses
• 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
• A medical disorder causing bleeding or inhibiting normal clotting.
• A sudden increase in blood pressure. -Source

I am hypertensive and I take my maintenance medication daily but the doctor told me that it may shoot up due to strenuous activities. I do household chores but that's a daily routine. The culprit may be my lenses that need replacement... or maybe, I lifted something heavy. Whatever the cause, I just have to be cautious from now on.