I woke up this morning and it looks like my eye is bleeding what is going on?

Untitled-3A sub-conjunctival hemorrhage is similar to a bruise on the skin- it is like a “bruise” on the eye. It normally appears as a single, concentrated spot of red or many diffuse red splotches, on the white of the eye.  The red represents blood under the conjunctiva, the clear membrane that covers the white of the eye called the sclera and the inner eyelids. The conjunctiva contains many blood vessels and capillaries, the thinnest blood vessels in the body. These vessels can break, causing blood to leak between the conjunctiva and sclera. This minor bleeding under the eye’s outer membrane is what causes the bright red spot to appear on the white of the eye. Seeing sub-conjunctival hemorrhages on your eye can be very alarming.
A sub-conjunctival hemorrhage does not affect vision and generally does not cause pain either. There are normally no sensations or symptoms, other than the appearance of the red spot. In most cases the patient may not even be aware that he or she has a sub-conjunctival hemorrhage until someone points it out, or the person looks in the mirror. The most common causes of sub-conjunctival hemorrhages are coughing, sneezing, straining or any similar action that temporarily raises blood pressure in the veins, leading to a small rupture in a blood vessel or capillary.  Sub-conjunctival hemorrhage can also occur because of trauma to the eye, even minor trauma such as rubbing the eye. Generally treatment is not necessary and over time, the blood spot will slowly disappear, clearing up on its own. It could take days or weeks depending on the size.

Benaim Eye at 747-7777 is always happy to see you for all your eye care needs.