What To Do About A Broken Vein In Your Eye

A viewer says they had a broken vein in their eye when they woke up one morning, they want to know if it will resolve on its own. Dr. Lacey Anderson says, it may look scary, but it’s nothing to fear.

This sounds like something called a subconjunctival hemorrhage and it happens when a tiny blood vessel breaks just under the clear surface of the eye, or conjunctiva. The conjunctiva can’t absorb this blood quickly, so the blood gets trapped, making that area of the eye bright red. The redness will only include the whites of the eyes. 

Most people don’t notice it until they look into the mirror or someone else points it out to them. It’s not dangerous at all and is similar to a bruise on your skin. 

This won’t cause any pain or swelling, and it won’t affect your vision. It will heal on its own in one to two weeks as the blood absorbs, so you don’t need any treatment. Sudden increase in pressure in the head and neck, like a violent coughing or sneezing fit, can sometimes cause a subconjunctival hemorrhage. 

Having high blood pressure or taking blood thinners can also increase your risk as well as trauma to the eye. So although this may look awful for a few days, it’s nothing to worry about and won’t hurt you a bit in the long run.