# Burst blood vessel in eye? Doc says don't worry but...(TMI) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burst-blood-vessel-in-eye-doc-says-dont-worry-but-tmi/290201 "2005-02-15T15:48:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burst-blood-vessel-in-eye-doc-says-dont-worry-but-tmi/290201/1 "2005-02-15T15:48:21Z")
Anybody ever burst a blood vessel in an eye? Here beginneth TMI: Specifically, while vomiting? I had the 24 Hour Bug yesterday, kicking off with a 4:00am wake-up from a seriously out-of-whack GI system: a stomach set to “julienne” and a bowel tract on sit-down strike. I prayed for good old Uncle Ralph to come and ease the agony, which happened with near-projectile force: basically it was like having my upper body wrung like a wet sponge. It was only later in the day (after I was ambulatory again) that I noticed a great big ol’ splotch of red about the size of a pea in between the pupil and tear duct in one eye. “Holy ned!” I thought. “I must have busted a capillary in my eye puking!” Here endeth TMI. I called my eye doctor, who said it was not serious unless there was pain (there’s none) or vision impairment (none either…yet). I guess my questions are: 1. Is my eye doc right? Am I pretty much out of danger? The red spot touches the iris, but does not enter inside it. 2. How long before this goes away to the point where I can look people in the eye again? Can I expect discomfort to develop in the meantime? ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burst-blood-vessel-in-eye-doc-says-dont-worry-but-tmi/290201/2 "2005-02-15T15:59:59Z")
A few months ago, I bet this guy I could lift a wrecking ball. That night, I looked in the mirror and notice a big red spot in my eye, like Jupiter. It didn’t hurt and it went away. I wouldn’t worry about it. People do it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burst-blood-vessel-in-eye-doc-says-dont-worry-but-tmi/290201/3 "2005-02-15T16:13:38Z")
A broken blood vessel in the eye can be very dangerous when it’s inside the eye. This condition, known as a hyphema, can cause permanent damage to the eye. This does not sound like what you have, however. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burst-blood-vessel-in-eye-doc-says-dont-worry-but-tmi/290201/4 "2005-02-15T16:24:55Z")
Yeah, I’ve gotten those before. I don’t think they’re uncommon. Once, it was when we had a “girls night out” and I did shots of tequila after too much beer and spent the night in the bathroom. Another time, I contracted food poisoning and was dry heaving every half hour for around 13 or so hours before I finally went to the doctor. Anyway, I was always told they’re harmless and they’ll clear up in a couple days. They’ll fade to brown and just look real unattractive for a while… ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burst-blood-vessel-in-eye-doc-says-dont-worry-but-tmi/290201/5 "2005-02-15T16:37:46Z")
Never burst one in the eye… I don’t think. I burst the capillaries all around my eyes while throwing up once. Looked like a raccoon all day. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burst-blood-vessel-in-eye-doc-says-dont-worry-but-tmi/290201/6 "2005-02-15T16:38:58Z")
I’ve had one of those, too. When it bursts it’s a truly weird sensation. FTR, mine was anger and stress related…arguing with my publisher. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burst-blood-vessel-in-eye-doc-says-dont-worry-but-tmi/290201/7 "2005-02-15T17:09:04Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > Anyway, I was always told they’re harmless and they’ll clear up in a couple days. They’ll fade to brown and just look real unattractive for a while… Oop, I meant a couple of _weeks_. They’ll fade from red to brown and then finally be a yellow splotch on your eyeball. Like I said, not too attractive… ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burst-blood-vessel-in-eye-doc-says-dont-worry-but-tmi/290201/8 "2005-02-15T18:26:27Z")
Well, I never burst one while vomiting but I sure did by whacking myself in the eye with a tennis racket. (In my defense, it was in very strong wind). As everyone else had said, it went away without incident in a few weeks. Cheers, Daphne ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burst-blood-vessel-in-eye-doc-says-dont-worry-but-tmi/290201/9 "2005-02-15T18:51:03Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > Well, I never burst one while vomiting but I sure did by whacking myself in the eye with a tennis racket. (In my defense, it was in very strong wind). > As everyone else had said, it went away without incident in a few weeks. Another anecdote: I was hit in the eye with a racquetball. Not bouncing off the wall, coming right off the other players racquet as I was turned around to watch him hit it. (Yes, of course I have goggles! They’re in the gym bag over there.) Result: much cursing; broken blood vessels in the white of my eye; trip to ER; diagnosis of “traumatic iritis”; days of red eye slowly changing to yellow then disappearing; no lasting effects. Lesson learned: goggles don’t do much to help when they’re in your bag. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burst-blood-vessel-in-eye-doc-says-dont-worry-but-tmi/290201/10 "2005-02-15T19:00:24Z")
I’ve had those from vomiting a few times. My big fear was that if my eyes were bursting vessels, then what the hell was going on inside my brain? Do I have a zillion little hemorrages bursting in my skull? I hope not, my WAG is that eye capillaries are very fragile and burst easily. Any docs in here? How’s my brain? ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burst-blood-vessel-in-eye-doc-says-dont-worry-but-tmi/290201/11 "2005-02-16T00:47:17Z")
[I did this last fall](http://fff.fathom.org/pages/GingerOfTheNorth/Gross%20Eye.jpg).\* My father-in-law, Dr. Dad, said it’s nothing to worry about. \*Warning: GROSS EYE.