Subconjunctival Haemorrhage
Subconjunctival Haemorrhage
Appearing as a bright red or dark red patch on the sclera, the white portion of the eye, a subconjunctival haemorrhage occurs when a small blood vessel under the conjunctiva breaks and bleeds.
The conjunctiva contains nerves and many small blood vessels which are usually barely visible but become larger and more visible if the eye is inflamed. Fragile when placed under pressure, their walls may break easily, resulting in a subconjunctival haemorrhage (bleeding under the conjunctiva).
Most subconjunctival haemorrhages are spontaneous without an obvious cause, but it may occur from an injury, coughing, heavy lifting, or vomiting. It tends to be more common among those on blood thinning agents such as warfarin or anti-platelet agents such as aspirin, ecotrin and plavex.