Get to Know Hyphema: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment?

Hyphema is an adverse eye condition that’s quite concerning and risky if you develop it. A hyphema is a condition where blood collects inside the front area of the eye. The blood collects between the cornea and the iris part of the eye. Once the blood collects between these areas, it can cover some parts or all of the iris and pupil.

The hyphema eye with a partial or fully covered blood area would eventually partly or completely block your vision. Hyphema is the eye is usually very painful to experience and everything at the initial stage of its occurrence causes problems in the eye. If the condition is left untreated, it can cause permanent vision loss. However, don’t confuse it with redness in the eye or broken blood vessel in the frontal area of the eye for a hyphema. These two cases are completely different based on their outcomes.

It’s a very common misconception among people who don't take any action thinking it's insignificant. Hyphema of the eye is quite often detrimental to the eye compared to broken blood vessel situation. A broken blood vessel in the eye, also known as subconjunctival haemorrhage is a very usual eye condition which is often harmless. It doesn’t hurt your eye or causes afterpain. A hyphema in the eye, on the other hand, is quite fierce on the eyes and has the potential of developing into vision loss. Hyphema in kids occurs with no warning for those suffering from an existing medical condition like haemophilia or anaemia.

You must seek immediate medical help from your ophthalmologist. Even if you experience slight bleeding, go ahead and get it checked because that could be an early sign.

What causes Hyphema?

Hyphema causes lie in indulging extreme sports or adventure. Playing sports or activities that hurt the eyes in the worst way which leads to interocular changes. Sports injuries are mostly responsible for hyphema causes where small balls like racquetballs or tennis balls hit it directly with excess force. Hence you must avoid any risk when it comes to your eyes by wearing protective eyewear. Apart from an external force, you can develop hyphema by abnormal levels in the blood vessels of the surface of the iris. In kids as mentioned could be developed through blood clotting problems like haemophilia and sickle cell anaemia. You can also develop hyphema by eye infection is caused by herpes virus, intraocular lens problem or cancer of the eye.

What are the symptoms of hyphema?

Hyphema symptoms are not very impactful or powerful to recognise a change in the eye. They include the following condition:

• Accumulation of visible blood in the front of the eye
• Light sensibility
• Blurry, partial or blocked vision
• Extreme Pain

How to diagnose Hyphema?

The possible way to diagnose hyphema is speaking to your ophthalmologist. He’s most probably going to ask you for submission of pre-recorded medical history. It will help them to learn about any medical issue you have or experienced any eye pain or trauma which cause this situation. The initial steps will be taking a medical exam of your eye and if there’s a possibility then they will conduct the following methods to diagnose hyphema:

• Examination of eye pressure
• Critical analysis of the inside of the eye via a special microscope called a slit lamp
• A comprehensive eye examination to identify your visual ability
• CT scan for checking the orbit

What’s the treatment for Hyphema?

Hyphema can be of different scale. You can develop mild or extreme hyphema. Mild hyphema can heal within a few weeks. Though mild hyphema also causes pain which you can take medication that doesn’t contain aspirin to mild the suffering. Medication without aspirin is restricted in hyphema because it is known for thinning the density of the blood which will lead to an increased rate of blood flow. Every case is treated differently based on the age, overall health and medical condition. You must submit your medical history if you have one to avoid any severe complication. Explain them or acknowledge the medical professionals about the magnitude of the injury, medication tolerance and preference to help get a better hyphema treatment.

Once the unsaid stuff is open and out, you will be subjected to the following methods of hyphema eye treatment:

• Eye Patch over the affected area to minimise the eye pressure
• Bed rest with limited eye movement
• Less TV and Screen time or reading
• Routine eye pressure checking
• Subjected to head elevated at 40 degrees while sleeping
• Eye drops to help you cope with the pain




What are hyphema complications?

Hyphema complication involves serious change or increase in the pressure of the eye. Due to increased eye pressure, you’ll experience unbearable pain. Often, the hyphema results in dangerously increased eye pressure when the doctors have to rush for the removal of excess blood. Increased pressure in the eye is developed because the blood rush from the hyphema can jam the eye’s drainage canal. If that happens, then there’s a high possibility of developing long term damage that’s related to glaucoma. Glaucoma is a severe eye condition resulting in permanent vision loss. Head to your ophthalmologist right away if any complication happens in hyphema.