Diagnosis
Your doctor or eye doctor will generally diagnose a subconjunctival hemorrhage by looking at your eye. You'll likely need no other tests.
If you have recurrent subconjunctival hemorrhages, your doctor may also:
- Ask you questions about your general health and symptoms
- Conduct an eye examination
- Take your blood pressure
- Obtain a routine blood test to make sure you don't have a potentially serious bleeding disorder
Treatment
You may want to use eye drops, such as artificial tears, to soothe any scratchy feeling you may be experiencing. Beyond that, the blood will absorb within about 1 to 2 weeks, and you'll need no treatment.
Preparing for your appointment
You're likely to start by seeing your primary care doctor. In some cases when you call to set up an appointment, you may be referred immediately to an eye doctor (ophthalmologist).
Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment.
What you can do
- List any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
- List key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
- List all medications, vitamins and supplements that you're taking, including doses.
- List questions to ask your doctor.
Preparing a list of questions may help you make the most of your time with your doctor. For a subconjunctival hemorrhage, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What might have caused this problem?
- Will it happen again?
- Do I need any tests?
- Are there any treatments for this condition?
- Are there any restrictions that I need to follow?
- Do I need to be referred to a specialist?
- Do you have any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? Do you recommend that I visit a website related to this problem?
Don't hesitate to also ask questions that occur to you during your appointment.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions, such as:
- When did you first notice the problem?
- Do you have any symptoms associated with this?