You may have had the experience of a friend or family member asking you " what is that red spot in your eye or why is your eye bloodshot". You having no clue, rush off to the mirror to see. Then you stare in horror at this huge red spot in your eye. Truth be told, you were completely unaware of it before someone else brought it to your attention. As you can see it is a red spot that may be continuous and just like a blood clot on the eye
It is a subconjunctival hemorrhage
It is a bleed under the thin lining of the eye called the conjunctiva. The conjunctiva is relatively transparent and you can easily see the blood underneath it. The blood vessels of the conjunctiva are very thin walled and easily prone to breakage with mild trauma.
Frequently it can be caused by sneezing, coughing or straining.
It can also be caused by mild trivial trauma that you did not notice. Sometimes which may be while you were asleep. It can also be caused by high blood pressure or being on blood thinning medication eg. aspirin, warfarin, plavix, etc. Sometimes vitamins or supplements can thin your blood eg. vitamin E, Omega 3 and ginkgo biloba.
Usually these will go away on their own within 1 to 2 weeks depending on their size and don't need any treatment. They don't require any treatment.
You should be concerned and seek help at your ophthalmologist if it persists for longer than 1 to 2 weeks, if it is enlarging, if it is in both eyes, if it happens recurrently, if there was trauma to the eyes causing it, or if you are on blood thinners to make sure it is in the normal range. You should also check your blood pressure to make sure it is not high.
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