Anatom3DBurst blood vessel in the eye (subconjunctival haemorrhage)
Haemorrhagia subconiunctivalis · Prasklá žilka v oku (hyposfagma)
What it is
A bright red patch on the white of the eye from a small vessel breaking under the conjunctiva — after coughing, straining, rubbing or for no reason; looks alarming, harmless, gone in 1–3 weeks.
Symptoms & signs
- Sharp-edged red patch on the white of the eye
- no pain, normal vision
- may spread before fading yellow
🚩 Get help if…
- call 112 / 911 now Blood in the eye with pain or blurred vision after a hard blow
- see a doctor soon Eye pain, blurred vision or light sensitivity with the red patch
- see a doctor soon Patches that keep coming back or easy bruising and bleeding
- see a doctor soon Red patch on blood thinners with bleeding elsewhere
Where it strikes
Medical treatment
- No treatment needed
- check blood pressure
- INR check on warfarin
- see a doctor if recurrent, painful, or after injury
Natural & lifestyle
- Artificial tears for mild scratchiness
Emerging & experimental
- None — self-limiting
Alternative, off-label & anecdotal
Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.
- Warm compresses after the first day — traditional; no trials anecdotal / traditional
- Arnica — no evidence anecdotal / traditional
ICD codes
- ICD-10 H11.3
- ICD-11 9A61.5 Conjunctival or subconjunctival haemorrhage