My eye has a red spot that is spreading. What could cause this?

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Thanks for writing in. I had a look at the photo (attachment removed to protect patient identity) you sent, and it looks like a subconjunctival hemorrhage. It can occur in the scenarios like if you inadvertently injured your eye in your sleep. If you suffer from high blood pressure, a blood vessel can burst as the conjunctiva vessels are fragile. Or due to increased intraabdominal pressure, such as coughing episodes, sneezing, blowing your nose hard, and even constipation and straining during defecation. And if you are on blood thinners like aspirin, etc. Sometimes it can occur spontaneously without any of the above factors. It starts as a spot and then spreads with gravity. It will slowly disappear in a week to ten days. No treatment is required right now, but you can use a lubricating eye drop for any discomfort. A Vitamin C tablet will help the vessels and help it absorb faster. Take it for two weeks. In case this recurs often, then you will require to see a physician. For now, do not worry about it. Please feel free to respond with any more questions. Thanks.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

As I mentioned, it will spread depending on your position, namely lying down or upright due to gravity. The new photo you sent appears in the same location and does not look fresh. The bleeding will spread, change color gradually, and then disappear. If a new one seems elsewhere, then you will need to meet a physician. You can try a cold compress twice a day for a couple of days and the vitamin C supplements. There are no specific eye drops that make it go away faster. The leaked blood needs to get reabsorbed. The lubricating eye drops like Refresh Tears will soothe the eye. Please have your blood pressure checked if possible. You can buy an electronic BP (blood pressure) cuff online if you prefer to avoid going to a hospital. Thank you.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Fine, it is normal. Any Aspirin intake like for headaches, etc.? Did you lift any heavyweights the previous day? If you cut yourself inadvertently, does it take longer to stop bleeding?

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Fifty percent of these subconjunctival hemorrhages are spontaneous with no obvious causes, so do not worry about it. Larger cuts would naturally take longer to stop bleeding, so I do not think that is an issue. When you get your annual health check-up, you can request a PT (prothrombin time) INR (international normalized ratio) blood test, which tests clotting. But there is no rush. You can do that when the pandemic settles down. If it does recur and you notice it early, put some gentle local pressure on the eyeball for one to two minutes at a time for seven minutes so that the bleeding stops. This only helps if you catch it early. Most people notice it the next morning or if someone points it out. For now, just the supplements and lubricating drops will suffice.