Eyes are fragile and are easily affected by injuries. Blood clots in your eyes occur abruptly and appear as red spots. They may not harmful and would disappear on their own. Blood clots usually develop below the conjunctiva, the outer layer of your eye occasioned by an injury.
Having blood clot in the eyes is known as subconjunctival hemorrhage in medical terms. The red spots may be formed in the white part of your eye. The white part of the eye has many blood vessels and nerves. Due its fragility, these blood vessels may burst as a result of direct injury. Normally, most of the blood clots form at the place of damage to stop excessive bleeding. These red spots will change color eventually as your body gets rid of blood clot.
Causes of Blood Clots in the Eye
Clots in your eye can occur as a result of many factors such as:
High blood pressure: High blood pressure is responsible for heart diseases and stroke. High blood pressure occurs when there are high levels of cholesterol, sugar and fats in your blood stream. These materials can block your arteries and form clots in your blood vessels. The clot can travel and reach your eye and cause damage.
Straining your eyes: Straining your eyes too much can damage the blood vessels causing clots to form. You can strain your eyes when reading in very dim light and this increases pressure in your eyes which can damage the blood vessels leading a clot forming. Other factors that can increase pressure in your eyes are constipation and excess coughing.
Medications: There are certain drugs that can cause clots to form in your blood vessels. Examples of these drugs include blood thinners such as warfarin and aspirin can cause blood clots to form in your eyes when taken in excess.
Diabetes mellitus: This is a serious condition that affects how your body uses energy in food. Diabetes mellitus is divided into three forms such as type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes.
When you have any form of diabetes mellitus, your body is unable to manufacture enough insulin or it cannot utilize the insulin it has produced or a combination of the two. This makes sugar to accumulate in your blood since the cells in your body cannot use it. High amounts of sugar in the blood can damage blood vessels in your eyes causing blood clots to form.
Injury to the eye: Trauma to your eye can damage blood vessels in the eye causing clots to form. An example of an injury is being hit by an object around your eyes which damages the blood vessels.
Other less common causes responsible for blood clots in your eyes include:
- Blood disorders: Conditions that affect your blood can cause clots to form in the blood vessels of your eyes. Vitamin K deficiency is responsible for most of blood clotting disorders. Vitamin K assists the proteins needed for blood clotting to function effectively.
- Eye infection: Infections in your eyes can also cause blood clots. Eye diseases such as glaucoma can damage blood vessels in your eyes causing clot to form.
- Eye surgery: Surgeries done on your eyes such as cataract surgery can damage blood vessels in your eyes causing clots to develop.
Symptoms of Blood Clot in the Eye
The main symptoms associated with blood clots in the eye are red spots on the white portion of your eye. Other symptoms of blood clots in the eye include:
- You experience irritations and itchiness in your eyes which can be accompanied by pain. You may experience blurred vision and feel fullness in your eyes or below the eyelids.
Diagnosis
If pain, irritations and itchiness in your eyes continues for many days, you need to seek for medical attention for a proper diagnosis. Your doctor can order the following tests to check for blood clots in your eyes:
Magnetic resonance imaging: MRI scan of blood vessels in your eyes can reveal presence of clots and any abnormality. Computed tomography scans can also help identify the clots.
Treatment
Treatment for blood clot in eye depends on the severity of the symptoms. Treatment can include both medications and home remedies:
For painful blood clots in your eyes, you will be treated by an ophthalmologist, an expert in eye problems. For mild symptoms, you will be given a lubrication to sooth your eyes. Avoid rubbing your eyes because it can worsen the symptoms.
Home remedies: You can use simple home remedies to alleviate symptoms of blood clot in eye such as:
- Use warm: Heat is effective in reducing eye irritations. You can place a clean cloth in warm water and apply it over your eyelids to ease the symptoms.
- Use Ice packs: Place ice on a clean cloth and apply over your eyelid to alleviate irritations and pain in your eyes.
- Cucumber: Cucumber can also help reduce pain and irritations caused by blood clots in the eye. Get a flesh slice of cucumber and apply it directly on your eyelids.
- Exercise: Exercising your eyes muscle can help prevent blood clots in eye. You can consult a physiotherapist to help you do simple exercises on your eye muscles.
