Spontaneous subconjunctival haemorrhage secondary to carotid-cavernous fistula

Analysis of subconjunctival hemorrhage

Objective: To determine associated conditions, gender distribution and location of subconjunctival hemorrhage (SCH).

Methodology: This retrospective, observational and non-interventional study involved total of 50 patients with SCH aged 0.16-88 years. The conjunctiva was divided into 4 equal areas. The data about the subjects with SCH that includes age, gender, medical history, ocular history and location of hemorrhage were noted for all patients.

Results: The patients with SCH consisted of 21 (42%) women and 29 (58%) men, with a mean age of 29.56 years. Of the 50 patients, 34 (68%) had traumatic and 16 (32%) had spontaneous SCH. Of traumatic SCH group 24 (70.6%) were men and 10 (29.4%) were women. SCH was more common in the temporal areas than other areas (40.5%).

Conclusion: The most associated condition in spontaneous SCH was hypertension. SCH was found to be predominant in the temporal areas among all patients. In traumatic SCH, temporal areas were affected more, whereas in spontaneous SCH, nasal and temporal areas were affected equally. Traumatic etiology was more likely seen in men than women.

Subconjunctival hemorrhage: risk factors and potential indicators

Subconjunctival hemorrhage is a benign disorder that is a common cause of acute ocular redness. The major risk factors include trauma and contact lens usage in younger patients, whereas among the elderly, systemic vascular diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and arteriosclerosis are more common. In patients in whom subconjunctival hemorrhage is recurrent or persistent, further evaluation, including workup for systemic hypertension, bleeding disorders, systemic and ocular malignancies, and drug side effects, is warranted.

[Massive bilateral subconjunctival hemorrhage revealing acute lymphoblastic leukemia]

We report the case of 20-year-old patient who presented in emergency with bilateral massive, spontaneous subconjunctival hemorrhage. Clinical findings suggested a blood dyscrasia, which was confirmed by blood cell count. The patient was urgently referred to hematology where the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia was made. This case highlights the importance of working up any unusual subconjunctival hemorrhage, as it may reveal, in certain cases, a severe life-threatening disease.