What Causes A Broken Blood Vessel In The Eye?

Hypertension

Hypertension, high blood pressure, occurs when there's too much force of blood against the artery walls. Hypertension eventually causes an array of health problems, extending from something as minor as the rupturing of a blood vessel in the eye to something major like heart disease. It's possible to suffer from high blood pressure for numerous years without experiencing any notable symptoms, which is why it's so dangerous. While it's possible to suffer from a primary version of high blood pressure that has no cause and actually diminishes over time, this is rare. The secondary form of high blood pressure can develop from an underlying condition or poor health maintenance. It's possible a blood vessel in the eye will weaken and rupture because of this condition.

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Diabetes

If an individual has diabetes, their risk of developing a broken blood vessel in the eye becomes considerably higher. This condition is called diabetic retinopathy, and in addition to broken blood vessels, the condition causes other problems. In Americans, diabetic retinopathy is the main cause of new blindness. With diabetic retinopathy, the blood vessels throughout the retina change. Diabetes causes this when the body's elevated glucose levels lead to tissue damage to the lining of the eyes. There are a few levels of diabetic retinopathy. One is nonproliferative, which occurs when the patient's elevated glucose levels damage their blood vessels. The vessels then leak fluid or blood, which causes blurred vision when it collects in the retina. Proliferative retinopathy is more dangerous, and occurs when abnormally developed blood vessels form over the retina. Due to the abnormalities, these blood vessels may rupture and hemorrhage into the eye, potentially causing full blindness. If there's scarring, the patient's retina may detach, which will cause the cells to become starved of oxygen. If retinal detachments aren't treated immediately, the retina can die.

Keep reading to reveal more risk factors linked to broken blood vessels in the eyes now.