(Half) Bloodshot eye

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Pendodave
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Joined: 3 Jun 2020, 8:27am

(Half) Bloodshot eye

Post by Pendodave »

I noticed a couple of days ago that I had a deeply bloodshot inner half of one eye. From the corner up to the iris, top to bottom.
No particular discomfort or vision issues.
I remarked to my wife that this was perhaps the 2nd or 3rd time this year that it had happened, and that it had never happened before this year.
This year is the year that I have started cycling.

I then remembered that when cycling a couple of days previously, my eyes had stung noticeably. I wouldn't have said that sweat was dripping profusely.
Is this a cycling thing, or is correlation being confused this causality?
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: (Half) Bloodshot eye

Post by Jdsk »

Usual advice: if in doubt talk to your GP or local eye hospital.

...

It could be a subconjuctival haemorrhage. Does it look roughly like the picture below?

https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/content/sub-conjunctival-haemorrhage
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subconjunctival_bleeding
https://wikem.org/wiki/Subconjunctival_hemorrhage

Happy to explain any of the terms in those if needed.

Jonathan

Image
Pendodave
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Joined: 3 Jun 2020, 8:27am

Re: (Half) Bloodshot eye

Post by Pendodave »

Thanks for the reply. Will tap them up tomorrow.
It does look a little like that (Apologies for focus). I'll read up the notes.
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Vitara
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Joined: 12 Feb 2014, 11:18pm

Re: (Half) Bloodshot eye

Post by Vitara »

As JDSK says that's a Sub Conjunctival Haematoma.

Looks worse than it is, usually takes a week or two to clear up, but will not effect your vision.

Most common cause is trauma. Often people wake up with one having rubbed or knocked their eye while sleeping.
As you've had 3 occur since taking up cycling I wonder if they might be related to flying insects hitting your eyes or eyelids &/or rubbing your eyes to remove said insects?

They can also occur spontaneously or no obvious cause. In this case it may be worth just checking your blood pressure is within normal limits. Easy to do yourself with an electronic machine. Check it a few times over the course of a few days, but don't get obsessive over it.
rmurphy195
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Re: (Half) Bloodshot eye

Post by rmurphy195 »

Would this be something an optometrist could look at to make sure there's nothing wrong with your eye ? They do all sorts of scan, pressure tests and so on these days.
Brompton, Condor Heritage, creaky joints and thinning white (formerly grey) hair
""You know you're getting old when it's easier to ride a bike than to get on and off it" - quote from observant jogger !
Jdsk
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Re: (Half) Bloodshot eye

Post by Jdsk »

An optician could.

Jonathan
Pendodave
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Re: (Half) Bloodshot eye

Post by Pendodave »

Hi. Thanks for input.
The redness has dissipated as predicted. Sent the photo to the gp and prognosis was as above. I visit the opticians every 18 months or so, so will have a physical examination then.
Blood pressure (and heart rate) are pretty low at rest. I've never checked them when undertaking vigorous exercise.
Jdsk
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Re: (Half) Bloodshot eye

Post by Jdsk »

Thanks for sharing the outcome.

Was the process with the photo and the GP OK? (Obviously this sort of thing has changed a lot in the last year... )

Jonathan
Vitara
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Joined: 12 Feb 2014, 11:18pm

Re: (Half) Bloodshot eye

Post by Vitara »

Pendodave – Good that you have the diagnosis confirmed. If your resting BP is okay I’m sure it’s fine. The reason I suggested it is that I worked in Ophthalmology for over a decade, & when patients presented with a sub conj heamatoma it was routine to check their BP just to ensure they were not hypertensive as it is a possible cause. Of all the patients I saw I don’t recall ever finding anyone who was.

JDSK – My wife & I have used e-consult a few times over the last year & one of mine included a photo. From my perspective it’s a great system; easy to use, no appointment needed, GP gets to look at the consult at a convenient time (i.e. not during busy surgery when they have a queue of patients), and we’ve received quick responses which have dealt with the issues.

I should add that we both work in Health Care, so we know what’s urgent and what isn’t and are able to give concise and accurate information for the consult. That said the system our surgery uses takes you through a list of screening questions to take you to the Consult, so it’s easy to use.

The other thing to say is that my wife works in a GP surgery so sees the e-consults from the other end. She tells me two things:

a) Patient’s are asked not to include photos of intimate parts like genitalia, this frequently gets ignored.

b) With Lockdown patients have got used to e-consult very quickly & where they used to have waiting rooms absolutely full of patients and clinics overbooked, they now have their in-box bulging with e-consult requests with a backlog to work through each day.
Psamathe
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Re: (Half) Bloodshot eye

Post by Psamathe »

A general aspect I had not been aware of until a few years ago was that some opticians seem to be a "grade above" most opticians (can't remember the title of these opticians but I was told a name). And these more specialised opticians have a few more experienced opticians who deal with potentially more serious eye issues.

Few years ago I was having trouble opening an eye (mainly morning) so called GP who called back and said I need to see one such specialist optician practice and gave me the only 3 within 15 miles. Made appointment with them (all covered by NHS so no charge).

Ian
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simonineaston
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Re: (Half) Bloodshot eye

Post by simonineaston »

...they now have their in-box bulging with e-consult requests with a backlog to work through each day.
That's interesting (well, it is from the pov of someone who has an interest in changing work practices & digitisation...!) I can see how that could have benefits and drawbacks, too. But the main thing I wonder, is whether the staff have received any guidance and training in this markedly different way of dealing with patients presenting.
As an aside, I had a phone consultation with my GP the other day. I toddled off to my selected pharmacy to collect my prescription and my pharmacist patiently explained that i) the system had been updated with the consultation ii) the system had been updated with details of the selected medicine, but iii) the GP had not updated the system with release of the medicine to the patient... the entire event having happend remotely. The only physical part of the event was the collection by me of the necessary drug, which is the bit that failed - the drug was sitting there on the pharmacy shelves, but the failure by the GP to click the GP's equivalent of the Save button meant I couldn't collect it - so close and yet so far...
re the OP's eye, I'm glad to learn that the symptoms are clearing up - hope all is well long-term. From a definition pov, I understand that there are three main levels of eye person:
* optician - somebody who sells eyewear, a specialist shop keeper.
* optometrist - someone who has trained to measure the performance of eyes (and who can often spot symptoms of problems, that may need further examination). As in 'metrics'
* opthalmologist - a medical practioner who specialises in eyes, their problems and their diseases. As in one of Beattie's 'ologies'.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
Vitara
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Re: (Half) Bloodshot eye

Post by Vitara »

I think the answer would be no. Part of problem they have is a target time for dealing with all e-consults within 48 hours & that’s overloading the system. A good number of the consults are non-urgent, perhaps even trivial, and so completing them within 48 hours is unnecessary. My suggestion was that they should be screened; urgent ones getting dealt with promptly, others getting acknowledgment with advice to get in touch if symptoms change, and then dealt with later.

“apparently” it isn’t possible to do this. That makes no sense to me, in my own role every visit request has to be prioritized so that patients with urgent problems are seen first.

Ophthalmic Roles

My definitions would be

Optician – examines eyes checking for visual problems and common eye disease, including measuring and dispensing spectacles contact lenses

Optometrist – assessment and non-surgical treatment of eye disease. Most commonly Strabismus (squint)

Ophthalmologist – Medical Practitioner (Doctor) specialized in Ophthalmology

I would also add:

Ophthalmic Nurse – a Registered Nurse who has undertaken further specialist training

Ophthalmic Assistant – a Health Care Professional specializing in Ophthalmic Care (more common in USA/Canada)

All of these are Professional Roles, with advanced skills that often overlap.

Putting my Pedants Hat on

It’s Ophthalmologist & Ophthalmology, two h’s.
Even people working in medicine have a tendency to miss out the first h. When you’ve worked in Ophthalmology it’s the first thing you look for :D .
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