Thursday 17 February 2011

The Causes of blood red eye

A blood red eye can be  alarming when it suddenly greets you in the mirror one morning. Fortunately, most of the time it will turn out to be much less serious than it appears. The white tissue on the front of the eye is known as the sclera. Overlying this is a clear transparent narrow layer that is loosely attached to the sclera, the conjunctiva. Because the connection is so loose between the layers, an empty potential space exists. There's tiny blood vessels that transverse through this tissue & they can be somewhat fragile. If a blood vessel ruptures, the blood will spread out & fill the empty space. It will often cover a huge part of the white of the eye with a blood red appearance. These are often called sub-conjunctiva hemorrhages.

A variety of issues can lead to these hemorrhages on the eye.

    * Mechanical trauma to the blood vessels may cause them to rupture. Basically rubbing the eyes can be enough force to break the tiny blood vessels on the eye. A foreign object or blow to the eye is a frequent antecedent. Sports like basketball where fingers often finish up in an eye can definitely give you a broken conjunctiva blood vessel. Protective sports eye wear can prevent these incidents & lots of much more serious eye injuries.
    * Centripetal force or the feeling of weightlessness occurs on roller coasters, merry go rounds, bungee jumping, flying maneuvers, & extreme sports of all flavors (intentional or accidental!). The blood flow is increased towards the head & the increased blood volume can lead to an blood red eye.
    * Anything that increases the resistance to blood drainage in the blood veins often is present in the history of sub conjunctiva hemorrhages. Coughing, vomiting, even straining with constipation can temporarily raise the resistance to blood drainage in the delicate capillaries of the eye tissues. Lifting weights while holding your breath & even childbirth can adjust the blood flow in the veins.

If you create an eye with the appearance of blood you ought to immediately seek care from your optometrist. Never there can be other problems that require intervention. Problems & diseases of the blood may cause recurrent hemorrhages. People on blood thinners, regular use of aspirin, & some other medications are at an increased risk for blood vessels bleeding. Some forms of eye infections will cause numerous hemorrhages, & often in both eyes. Conditions like diabetes & high blood pressure can make the eye more susceptible to breaks in the blood vessels.

Usually the cure is time. These conjunctiva hemorrhages will follow a course similar to a bruise on your skin, often taking two to three weeks to resolve. They also will undergo color changes from bright red to purple before fading away. This is one eye condition where the appearance is fortunately much worse than the finish result!



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