A broken blood vessel in the eye almost always heals on its own within about two weeks, with no drops, medications, or procedures needed. That bright red patch on the white of your eye is called a subconjunctival hemorrhage, and while it looks alarming, it’s usually painless and harmless. Your body reabsorbs the trapped blood gradually, much like it clears a bruise anywhere else on your body.
What’s Actually Happening in Your Eye
The white of your eye is covered by a thin, clear membrane called the conjunctiva. This membrane is packed with tiny capillaries that break easily. When one ruptures, blood leaks into the space between the conjunctiva and the white of the eye (the sclera). Because the blood is trapped beneath the membrane, it can’t move around or be wiped away. It just sits there, turning part of your eye bright red.
The most common triggers are things that briefly spike pressure in your veins: coughing, sneezing, vomiting, straining on the toilet, or heavy lifting. Rubbing your eye too hard, bumping it, or wearing contact lenses can also cause a break. Sometimes there’s no identifiable cause at all.
The Healing Timeline
Most subconjunctival hemorrhages clear completely within two weeks. During that time, the color shifts in stages similar to a fading bruise. The initial bright red patch may turn orange, then yellowish-green, before disappearing entirely. The size of the bleed affects how long this takes. A small spot may fade in under a week, while a larger bleed that covers more of the white can take the full two weeks or slightly longer.
There’s nothing you can do to speed this process up significantly. Your body breaks down and reabsorbs the trapped blood at its own pace. A few things can help with comfort during the wait:
- Artificial tears: Over-the-counter lubricating drops can relieve any mild scratchiness or irritation you feel.
- Avoid rubbing: Touching or rubbing the eye can re-irritate the area or cause additional capillary breaks.
- Skip blood thinners if possible: Aspirin, ibuprofen, and other NSAIDs can slow clotting. If you take prescription blood thinners, don’t stop them without talking to your doctor, but avoid adding over-the-counter ones unnecessarily.
When It’s More Than a Surface Bleed
A subconjunctival hemorrhage affects only the surface of the eye and doesn’t threaten your vision. But bleeding deeper inside the eye, in the retina, is a different situation entirely. Retinal hemorrhages can cause blurred vision, dark spots or floaters, or partial vision loss, and they require medical treatment.
If deeper bleeding is involved, treatment options include laser therapy or freezing treatment to seal damaged vessels, injections of medication to reduce inflammation and abnormal blood vessel growth, or surgery to relieve pressure inside the eye or reattach the retina. These are handled by an ophthalmologist and typically involve follow-up monitoring.
You should get your eye evaluated promptly if you notice any vision changes along with the redness, if you have eye pain (surface hemorrhages are painless), if the bleeding followed significant trauma to the head or eye, or if the redness hasn’t started improving after two weeks.
Risk Factors for Recurring Bleeds
If broken blood vessels in your eye keep happening, an underlying condition may be weakening your capillaries or raising your blood pressure. High blood pressure is one of the more common culprits. Uncontrolled diabetes also makes these tiny vessels more fragile over time. Blood clotting disorders, including hemophilia and von Willebrand disease, increase the likelihood as well.
Certain medications play a role too. Prescription blood thinners make capillaries more prone to leaking when they break, and even over-the-counter pain relievers that thin the blood slightly can contribute. People who have had eye surgery, such as cataract removal, are also at higher risk for a period afterward.
If you’re getting subconjunctival hemorrhages repeatedly, it’s worth having your blood pressure and blood sugar checked. A single episode that resolves in two weeks is rarely a sign of anything concerning. A pattern of them can point to something that needs managing.
Preventing Future Broken Vessels
You can’t prevent every subconjunctival hemorrhage, especially since many happen during involuntary actions like sneezing or coughing. But you can reduce the frequency by addressing the most controllable triggers.
Avoid rubbing your eyes, even when they itch. If you wear contact lenses, handle them gently and keep them clean. When lifting heavy objects, exhale steadily rather than holding your breath and bearing down, which spikes pressure in your head and face. Wearing protective eyewear during sports or yard work prevents the minor bumps and pokes that can rupture surface vessels.
Managing the bigger health picture matters most for people with recurring episodes. Keeping blood pressure in a healthy range, controlling blood sugar if you have diabetes, and reviewing your medication list with your doctor all reduce the strain on the small, delicate capillaries that line the surface of your eye.