A burst blood vessel in the eye almost always looks worse than it is. That bright red patch on the white of your eye is called a subconjunctival hemorrhage, and in most cases, it heals on its own within one to three weeks without any treatment. The blood is trapped beneath a thin, clear membrane called the conjunctiva, which is why it looks so vivid and doesn’t move or wash away with tears.
That said, there are a few things you can do to stay comfortable while it heals, and some situations where the red spot deserves a closer look.
Why It Happened
The conjunctiva is packed with tiny, fragile blood vessels. When one of them breaks, blood leaks into the space between the membrane and the white of the eye. Because the blood has nowhere to go, it pools and spreads, sometimes covering a large portion of the white. It can look alarming, but the bleeding is superficial and doesn’t reach the inside of the eye or affect your vision.
Anything that briefly spikes pressure in the small veins around your eye can trigger a break. The most common culprits are coughing, sneezing, vomiting, straining on the toilet, heavy lifting, and rubbing your eye too hard. Even a minor bump or poke can do it. Some people notice one after vigorous exercise, a roller coaster ride, or a particularly intense bout of sneezing during allergy season. Often, though, you won’t be able to pinpoint a cause at all.
What You Can Do at Home
There’s no way to speed up the healing process. The blood will be gradually reabsorbed by your body over the course of days to weeks. During that time, a few simple steps can keep you comfortable:
- Use artificial tears. Over-the-counter lubricating eye drops can relieve any mild scratchiness or irritation you feel. Preservative-free drops are gentlest if you’re using them several times a day.
- Avoid rubbing your eye. Rubbing can irritate the area further or even cause additional tiny vessels to break.
- Skip blood-thinning pain relievers if possible. Aspirin and ibuprofen can slow clotting and potentially make the hemorrhage spread. If you need pain relief for something unrelated, acetaminophen is a better choice while the spot is healing.
You don’t need to patch the eye, avoid screens, or stay out of sunlight. Normal activities are fine.
What Healing Looks Like
The red patch will shift colors as your body breaks down the trapped blood, similar to how a bruise fades on your skin. Expect it to go from bright red to darker red, then possibly brownish or yellowish-green before fading completely. Small hemorrhages may clear in under a week. Larger ones, where the red covers most of the white, can take two to three weeks.
The spot may actually look bigger in the first day or two before it starts to shrink. This is normal. Blood can continue to spread slightly under the membrane before clotting stops it.
When the Red Spot Needs Attention
A straightforward burst blood vessel doesn’t cause pain and doesn’t change your vision. If either of those things is happening, something else may be going on. See an eye doctor promptly if you notice:
- Pain in the eye, not just mild irritation or scratchiness
- Any change in vision, including blurriness, double vision, or sensitivity to light
- Bleeding that also appears inside the colored part of the eye (the iris) or in front of the pupil
- Discharge from the eye, which could signal an infection
- A hemorrhage following a direct blow to the eye, since impact injuries can damage deeper structures
Recurrent hemorrhages also warrant a visit. One burst vessel is almost always harmless, but if it keeps happening, it can point to an underlying issue worth investigating.
Underlying Causes Worth Knowing About
High blood pressure is one of the most common systemic conditions linked to repeated eye hemorrhages. If you’ve had more than one episode and haven’t had your blood pressure checked recently, that’s a reasonable next step. Uncontrolled blood pressure puts extra strain on small vessels throughout the body, and the delicate capillaries in the conjunctiva are especially vulnerable.
Blood-thinning medications also increase the risk. If you take warfarin or a newer anticoagulant, you may notice burst vessels more frequently. Patients on these medications sometimes develop larger, more dramatic-looking hemorrhages because the blood takes longer to clot. This doesn’t necessarily mean your medication needs adjusting, but it’s worth mentioning to your prescribing doctor if it’s happening often. Long-term use of corticosteroid eye drops, sometimes prescribed for conditions like chronic eye inflammation, has also been linked to a higher rate of spontaneous hemorrhages.
Other conditions that can play a role include diabetes and high cholesterol, both of which affect blood vessel integrity over time. If your doctor suspects a clotting problem, they may order blood work to check your platelet count and clotting factors.
Preventing Future Episodes
You can’t always prevent a burst blood vessel, but you can reduce some of the pressure spikes that trigger them. Treat allergies or colds early to cut down on violent sneezing fits. If constipation leads to straining, adding fiber to your diet helps. When lifting heavy objects, exhale during the exertion rather than holding your breath, which minimizes the pressure surge in your veins.
If you wear contact lenses, make sure they fit properly and that you’re not inserting or removing them roughly. And if you tend to rub your eyes out of habit or due to dryness, regular use of lubricating drops can reduce the urge.