When to seek help for broken blood vessel in eye

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Have you ever looked in the mirror and noticed a bright red spot in the whites of your eye(s)? It might be scary at first, but feel reassured -- it's often a harmless condition. Dr. Allan Panzer with Houston Dry Eye Clinic explains to FOX 26 News when you should consider seeking medical help.

"Typically it's not anything significant, however in some cases, if they're on blood thinners for various heart conditions, they may have too high a level of blood thinners, so subsequently they'll break these blood vessels," says Dr. Panzer. "Other people sneeze or cough frequently, it's not subsequently significant. The only time it's significant, is if you have some underlying condition like diabetes, where your blood vessels are more fragile, which this would be a good case to get an eye exam and primarily to rule out any other issues. Generally speaking, a subconjunctival hemorrhage is nothing to be worried about. If you're on blood thinners, you're calling your medical doctor (if it happens). If you have any other symptoms, such as blurred vision, then you want to see your eye doctor, because just as you can break a blood vessel outside your eye, you can break a blood vessel inside your eye. If you have an injury, you definitely need to see the doctor because you could have traumatic impact on the inside of your eye."

For more information about this condition, visit http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/hemorrhage.htm.