Common Causes Of Hyphema
Hyphema is one unsettling condition in which the anterior chamber of the eye (the area in front of the pupil) begins to fill with blood, pooling at the lower part of the eye due to gravity. Hyphema can range in severity from a low point where the presence of blood is subtle enough to avoid being detected by casual examination, or it can be severe to the point where it begins to layer and pool at the bottom of the anterior chamber. In particularly severe cases of hyphema, the anterior chamber will fill completely with blood. This nightmarish, advanced stage is called a blackball or eightball hyphema, denoting the anterior chamber has filled with blood and appears to be black, completely obscuring the pupil and iris. Learn what can cause hyphema now.
Eye Trauma
Eye trauma is the foremost cause of hyphema. The compression caused by trauma can lead to tearing around the anterior chamber, and the presence of blood in the eye. This is accidental in the majority of cases, usually related to an unintentional injury sustained during sports or another physical activity. In this event, the eye socket may also be damaged, and performing a CT scan is prudent. Additionally, nonaccidental trauma can lead to the development of hyphema. If this is suspected, due caution must be advised. While trauma to the eye is the leading cause of hyphema, it's possible for the condition to develop spontaneously.
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Issues With Blood Clotting
An individual who suffers issues with blood clotting, such as a blood clotting disease like hemophilia may develop hyphema without warning or specific cause. Patients with diabetes are also at risk for hyphema, and certain medications that act as blood thinners can increase the risk present for hyphema. This may lead to a mild case of hyphema, in which the blood can be reabsorbed into the body while the eye is protected with an eyepatch and the patient is prescribed with bedrest. Steroid-based eyedrops may be prescribed to help with inflammation and speed recovery, as well, but it must be reiterated over-the-counter anti-inflammatories are likely to exacerbate the condition rather than help. If the anterior chamber fills heavily with blood, the blood in the eye itself may clot and create a blackball hyphema, which must urgently be treated with surgery lest it leaves lasting damage or causes the patient to develop glaucoma.
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Abnormal Blood Vessels On The Iris
Abnormal blood vessels on the iris represent a less common cause of hyphema. Rubeosis iridis is one condition that will lead to the development of such blood vessels on the eye and is associated with diabetic eye disease or the retina growing oxygen-starved, at which point new blood vessels will develop over the iris. This is a problem unto itself, but the new blood vessels will be exceedingly fragile and represent a risk of hyphema. A buildup of pressure in the eye due to this condition can be extremely debilitating and should be treated with surgical intervention as soon as practicable.
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Intraocular Lens Issues
Surgical procedures themselves and intraocular lens issues can often be a risk factor for hyphema. When installing a set of intraocular lenses to treat a condition such as cataracts or glaucoma, it's possible for the procedure or the lenses themselves to cause lasting irritation to the anterior chamber, promoting inflammation and the development of neovascularization in the iris as part of the aptly-named UGH syndrome (uveitis glaucoma hyphema, that is). Anyone with an intraocular lens is susceptible to the condition, but the elderly have been found to be most at risk for developing the condition. If the hyphema hasn't developed to an advanced stage, treating the inflammation and other related issues will be adequate to treat the patient, so long as they receive bedrest and minimize eye activity.
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Eye Cancer
Eye cancers such as ocular melanoma can count hyphema among their symptoms. While melanoma usually afflicts the pigment-providing cells of the skin, it can also afflict the pigment of the eye, in which case it can lead to the tearing and bleeding of the anterior chamber, causing hyphema. Hyphema may be a serious condition by its own right, but the threat posed by eye cancer to the life and the vision of a patient is much greater. If the ocular cancer of the patient may be treated, then eyedrops, minimized eye activity, and the usual methods will treat hyphema. Radiation therapy is one option for treatment, and surgical removal of the tumor is another. However, if radiation therapy fails to kill the cancerous growth and if it's grown too far to be surgically removed, then an enucleation procedure (surgical removal of the cancerous eye) will become necessary.