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How Can Subconjunctival Hemorrhage Be Treated?
My friend has a subconjunctival hemorrhage that came on after a headache, then an increase in blood pressure - (she screamed at her dog when he was getting into something he shouldn t have). Then she felt the burst and went to urgent care. They said nothing can be done. Her eye is even bulgy and she has a deep ache / head ache and her husband says she lethargic. She called her eye Dr. and they said nothing can be done. I m worried for her, I suggested she call her primary dr.
Mon, 24 Oct 2016
Short answer: Sounds like something else is going on
Long answer:
Hi there,
If it is really a subconjunctival haemorrhage, the doctors are quite right, there is nothing to do but wait for it to be resolved on its own - much like a bruise. Usually you will see some changes within a week, and be completely gone by 2 weeks or so.
However, subconjunctival haemorrhages are usually painless and not bothersome at all, except for how alarming it looks. She sounds rather unwell, which might indicate that there is something else going on. If it is the eye that is actually hurting badly, I would suggest actually visiting the eye doctor for them to have another look to rule out other problems like uveitis or hyphaema.
If her eye is not bothering her much and it is just general unwellness with the headache and lethargy, then it could be just that she has an ongoing viral fever at the same time (since she already had the headache before the subconjunctival haemorrhage happened). In that case just rest and fluids with the regular paracetamol for the aches would do. Note that if you come from a dengue-prone area, this might mean that she needs to seek help earlier.
If she is prone to high blood pressure or is already on medication, make sure that the headache is not caused by her blood pressure still being high. If her home monitor shows blood pressure of above 150/100 mmHg repeatedly, then it is time to go to her doctor.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Dr. Teh
Long answer:
Hi there,
If it is really a subconjunctival haemorrhage, the doctors are quite right, there is nothing to do but wait for it to be resolved on its own - much like a bruise. Usually you will see some changes within a week, and be completely gone by 2 weeks or so.
However, subconjunctival haemorrhages are usually painless and not bothersome at all, except for how alarming it looks. She sounds rather unwell, which might indicate that there is something else going on. If it is the eye that is actually hurting badly, I would suggest actually visiting the eye doctor for them to have another look to rule out other problems like uveitis or hyphaema.
If her eye is not bothering her much and it is just general unwellness with the headache and lethargy, then it could be just that she has an ongoing viral fever at the same time (since she already had the headache before the subconjunctival haemorrhage happened). In that case just rest and fluids with the regular paracetamol for the aches would do. Note that if you come from a dengue-prone area, this might mean that she needs to seek help earlier.
If she is prone to high blood pressure or is already on medication, make sure that the headache is not caused by her blood pressure still being high. If her home monitor shows blood pressure of above 150/100 mmHg repeatedly, then it is time to go to her doctor.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Dr. Teh
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