Case of a subconjunctival bleeding in an otherwise healthy child
Subconjunctival hemorrhage is a common benign condition of the eye that has characteristic features, such as the painless acute appearance of a sharply circumscribed redness of bleeding underneath the conjunctiva in the absence of discharge, and inflammation in contagious areas. A subconjunctival hemorrhage occurs when a tiny blood vessel breaks just underneath the clear surface of the eye (conjunctiva). The conjunctiva can't absorb blood very quickly, so the blood gets trapped. Patients may not even realize they have a subconjunctival hemorrhage until they look in the mirror and notice the white part of the eye is bright red. Despite its bloody appearance, reduction in visual acuity is not expected. It can vary from dot-blot hemorrhages to extensive areas of bleeding that render the underlying sclera invisible. In the case above, her mom took her out of school for the week because she was scaring the other kids! Ultimately everything resolved, but it sure got us thinking.... Fellow docs, have you ever had a bullous subconjunctival hemorrhage this bad in a healthy child? Case by @drwyattnk