An eye hemorrhage - also known as a broken blood vessel in the eye - is like having a bruise on your skin. The clear surface of your eye is called the conjunctiva, and it contains many tiny blood vessels that are easily broken. When one of these blood vessels break, blood leaks under the conjunctiva (which can’t absorb blood quickly). Because of this, the white of the eye may turn red for several days or weeks. This condition is highly common and may occur in some individuals (such as older adults) without much cause.
Aside from redness in the eye, eye hemorrhages cause no symptoms. You may not even know that you have a broken blood vessel in your eye until you look in the mirror. Even though this occurrence can appear frightening, serious health complications caused by broken blood vessels in the eye are rare.
There is no singular cause of an eye hemorrhage.
Conditions that may cause a broken blood vessel include:Most cases of eye hemorrhages do not require medical treatment, however, if you experience persistently broken blood vessels in the eye, talk to your doctor about possible causes.