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Medical Author:

Andrew A. Dahl, MD, FACS

Andrew A. Dahl, MD, FACS

Andrew A. Dahl, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist. Dr. Dahl's educational background includes a BA with Honors and Distinction from Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, and an MD from Cornell University, where he was selected for Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society. He had an internal medical internship at the New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center.

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Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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In this Article

• What is a subconjunctival hemorrhage?
• What causes a subconjunctival hemorrhage?
• What are symptoms and signs of a subconjunctival hemorrhage?
• How is a subconjunctival hemorrhage diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for a subconjunctival hemorrhage?
• Can a subconjunctival hemorrhage be prevented?
• Subconjunctival Hemorrhage At A Glance
• Patient Comments: Subconjunctival Hemorrhage - Treatments
• Patient Comments: Subconjunctival Hemorrhage - Cause
• Find a local Eye Doctor in your town
• Subconjunctival Hemorrhage Index

If you are having frequent subconjunctival hemorrhages or your subconjunctival hemorrhage is associated with easy bruising or bleeding elsewhere, you should have a medical evaluation for an underlying bleeding or clotting problem. Treatment of such an underlying condition may prevent future hemorrhages.

• The conjunctiva is the thin, moist, transparent membrane that covers the white part of the eye (called the sclera) and the inside of the eyelids. The conjunctiva is the outermost protective coating of the eyeball.
• The conjunctiva contains nerves and many small blood vessels. These blood vessels are usually barely visible but become larger and more visible if the eye is inflamed. These blood vessels are somewhat fragile and their walls may break easily, resulting in a subconjunctival hemorrhage (bleeding under the conjunctiva). A subconjunctival hemorrhage appears as a bright red or dark red patch on the sclera.

REFERENCE:

Fukuyama, J., Hayasaka, S., Yamada, K., Setogawa, T. "Causes of Subconjunctival Hemorrhage." Ophthalmologica 200 (1990): 63-67.