A broken blood vessel in the eye is usually nothing more than the breakage of the many tiny blood vessels that are found within the eye. A broken blood vessel in the eye is known as a subconjunctival hemorrhage.
The conjunctiva is the clear surface of your eye, and hemorrhage is the breaking of the blood vessels. This condition is most often harmless and under normal circumstances will clear up in one to three weeks.
In the conjunctiva, there are literally hundreds and hundreds of tiny blood vessels as well as a number of nerve cells. The blood vessels that are contained in the conjunctiva are, for the most part, not visible to the naked eye. They happen to be very fragile and the blood vessel walls can easily break. These broken blood vessels will cause the eye to become very red as if the eye appears to bleed underneath. Although a broken blood vessel may appear to be painful, quite the opposite is actually true
A broken blood vessel in the eye is painless. Most people that develop a broken blood vessel in the eye don’t even realize they have one until they take a look in the mirror. A person may also realize they have a broken blood vessel in their eye when someone asks them what happened to their eye. They usually are cause for development when there has been blunt trauma to the eye.
If you become worried about a broken blood vessel in the eye, you actually need not to be concerned. There is usually no pain associated with a broken blood vessel in the eye. A broken blood vessel in the eye can be caused by a few different things. Although there are many different causes, the real cause often remains unknown.
If you’re experiencing a broken blood vessel in the eye, following are some of the more common causes of this annoying, yet harmful condition. Some of the causes of a broken blood vessel in the eye include but are not limited to:
• Rubbing the Eyes
There are a number of reasons you might rub your eyes. Small irritations like dust will make you rub your eyes without even thinking about it. If your eyes are dry you may be subject to rubbing them as well. If there are any sort of germs on your hands when you rub your eyes, it may result in a broken blood vessel.
• Straining to See Better
Any strain on the eyes may also be the cause of a broken blood vessel. If you’re subject to wearing glasses to see and you don’t have them, straining the eyes to see could cause mild trauma to the eye that could cause a broken blood vessel.
Our bodies are inherently connected and sometimes when we experience a heavy fit of sneezing it can cause the blood vessels in the eye to pop. Allergies, cold, and flu can lead to sneezing that may result in broken blood vessels in the eye.
When we cough, for any number of reasons, it may be cause for a broken blood vessel. The strain from heavy coughing could make the blood vessels in the eye to break. When we get sick with a cold or are experiencing congestion this may lead to heavy coughing which in turn may lead to broken blood vessels in the eye.
Vomiting, while one of the most uncomfortable things ever, is something we all must deal with at some point in our life. Stomach bugs, overindulgence in alcohol, morning sickness, and food poisoning may all cause violent fits of vomiting. This can cause extreme pressure to the eye cavity and result in a broken blood vessel.
Unfortunately, there are times in life where we have very intense fits of crying. Grief is often expressed through heavy tears and may result in broken blood vessels in the eye.
• Increased Pressure to the Eye
Increased pressure to the eye is often a cause of broken blood vessels. Going upside down on a roller coaster, being inverted in a yoga pose for too long, or even the increased pressure in an airplane can be causes for increased pressure to the eye resulting in a broken blood vessel.
• Poor Blood Pressure
Poor blood pressure can cause major damage to the arteries in your body. Blood flow may become blocked to major areas of your body. This is one of the more serious conditions that a broken blood vessel in the eye is caused. If this is, in fact, the case, you should seek medical attention immediately.
• Blood Thinning Medications
Any medications that are taken and then the blood can sometimes be the cause of a broken blood vessel in the eye. Aspirin, high doses of vitamin E, excess garlic, and too much fish oil can all be culprits, although this usually isn’t really the case.