"Eye Popping Question"

[geebee]

Was sitting here last night (calmly, I swear and felt a popping sensation and slight pain in my right eye.

Went to the mirror and the white of my eye was blood red on one entire side. Little bit of a shock.

Since I had no other symptoms and my INR was 3.4, I decided to do the "google thing" and determined it was a subconjunctival hemorrhage, a diagnosis confirmed by my eye doctor this morning. He said it was the worst he has seen for some time.

We determined being on coumadin makes the bleeding worse. He also said this was the fifth subconjunctival hemorrhage he had seen this week . Something about spring & fall, humidity levels (causing dry eyes) and barometric pressures that make these more common during those seasons.

Question tho - he said being on coumadin might actually cause the blood to re-absorb faster. Any experiences with that? My eye looks so bad I don't even want to go out. AND, I can't wear my contacts because of the swelling.

All news to me. So, just wanted to mention the possibility. He said lifting heavy things, sneezing, coughing and the like can cause these. They are scary to see but harmless.

He also suggested I could have fun on Friday (April Fool's day). He said if someone asks about what's wrong with my eye, I can just reply "yeah, yeah, I'm not falling fot that one" and watch them go crazy. . Nice to find a doctor with an actual sense of humor.

On a serious note - he said these should be looked at to make sure the popped vessel has sealed itself.

 

[Ross]

I've done that before. Makes you look so purty too. I just tell everyone that the old lady beats me. Works for me anyhow!

I don't know about absorbing faster on Coumadin, it still takes quite a while.

 

[Barry]

I've had it happen a couple of times within the past year, 'til seeing your post here never knew what it was. But, anyway, I'd look in the mirror and I'd look rather disgustingly weird with half of one eye severely bloodshot. I ignored it and it went away within a day or three (as I said, I ignored it, so didn't really pay attention to how long it lasted).

 

[Nancy]

Joe's had that also. It's really not as much blood as you think, it just gets trapped between the layers of the eyewhite and spreads out. Nasty looking, but if you have anyone you want to give the evil-eye to, you're all set. If I remember, it took about 10 days to go away.

His INR was OK when it happened.

 

[geebee]

They sure are purty though!

Yeah - I was going to take a picture and include it with my post but decided it was too gross. Besides it seems like a lot of people have them and I am the newbie on this one

 

[Guest]

The eye docs tell me that if they are not painful and your vision is normal, there is nothing that can be done. Just like a little bruise except there is no pigment to cover it up and everyone looks at the eyes.

 

[catwoman]

Gina:

I've gone through it before -- B.C. (Before Coumadin).
Ever since I was a child, I've had problems with sudden nausea and vomiting. Get sick and I'd look like I had the measles all around my eyes and even in my eyes.

Only had one problem since my MVR and that was last month when I broke several blood vessels between my left eye and nose. Still have a trace of my black eye almost 5 weeks later.

Tip: Wear sunglasses -- even indoors. I did except when I went through airport security. Most people thought I had just had my eyes dilated. I went along with that; it was easier than trying to explain the black eye!

 

[geebee]

Gravity has taken over and most of the blood is now pooled at the bottom of my eye. I look like a Hollywood version of a vampire or a living example of camera red eye.

This has certainly been interesting. Thanks for all the responses.

 

[Guest]

Gina,
Take a digital picture and see if the red-eye corrector can fix it. We may be onto something!!!

 

[catwoman]

Gravity has taken over and most of the blood is now pooled at the bottom of my eye. I look like a Hollywood version of a vampire or a living example of camera red eye.

Gina:
Maybe you could go to work at a Coumadin clinic as a vampire????????????

 

[geebee]

In 1982, I agreed to be part of a study on people with anti-heart antibodies and had to go to Rockefeller University Hospital to donate blood. The doctor who was doing the study had offices in the lower level of the hospital, way back from the elevators. Everyone joked and called him the vampire because he was in dark offices away from the main hospital.

He even looks a little scary at times (see picture).

Maybe I actually have had this brewing all this time

 

[geebee]

Al,

I tried the red eye setting but it didn't work. Oh well - here's my vampire eye

 

[Guest]

I've heard that vampires don't show up in mirrors - now they don't show up in the red eye corrector either. WOW!

 

[Raverlaw]

I've had two of these since going on warfarin. The last one was just last week, so maybe it is a spring thing. They clear up in about 4 days, but mine haven't been as heavy as yours, GeeBee!

I did get some wierd looks at work, though. No one said a thing - they just sneaked looks!