Eye and bleeding in the white of

Also known as a subconjunctival haemorrhage

Key points about bleeding in the white of your eye

Subconjunctival haemorrhage is the medical name for bleeding in the white of your eye. Although this can look serious, it is usually harmless.
Subconjunctival haemorrhage creates a bright red patch in your eye.
It usually causes no other symptoms and doesn't affect your vision.
No treatment is needed and it will clear itself in about 2 weeks.
You may need to see your doctor if this keeps recurring.

Curly-haired woman outdoors wiping eye with tissue

There are many blood vessels that run in between your conjunctiva (the clear surface of your eye) and sclera (the white of your eye). Subconjunctival haemorrhage happens due to some of these tiny blood vessels bursting and bleeding.

In most cases, there isn't a clear cause, but causes can include:

an eye injury or head injury
coughing, sneezing or vomiting
eye rubbing
high blood pressure
a bleeding disorder or a tendency to bleed easily
medicines such as an anticoagulant, eg, aspirin
strenuous activity, eg, heavy lifting.

Bleeding in the white of your eye usually causes no symptoms other than the red patch. Occasionally, you can feel some mild irritation. It doesn't affect your vision as the central part of your eye is not affected.

No treatment is needed. It will clear itself in about 2 weeks. However, see your doctor if you: