Why do blood vessels burst in the eyes of children, infants and older?

Symptoms - how to determine that a vessel in the eye has burst

If a capillary in a baby's eye bursts, it is impossible not to notice it with the naked eye. Attentive parents can detect even the smallest red streak in the eye. When blood vessels rupture near the lower eyelid, dark red circles are visible.

Damage to the eye vessels causes discomfort in the child. He complains of visual pain, itching and fatigue. Due to the fact that a vessel in his eyes has burst, he rubs the diseased organ and is nervous.

Sometimes a vessel may burst due to high blood pressure. In this case, the baby complains of pain in the head area. He is constantly capricious and cries. This condition is accompanied by increased body temperature, weakness and the release of large amounts of sweat.

It is typical that the vessels burst only in one eye. Bilateral damage to blood vessels occurs only as a result of trauma during childbirth.

Constantly red eyes - why and what to do

The presence of the following diseases leads to frequent ruptures of blood vessels:

• hypertension;
• diabetes;
• conjunctivitis;
• blepharitis.

With hypertension (high blood pressure), blood vessels burst and a blood clot forms on the retina. A phenomenon that leads to visual impairment, and in advanced cases to blindness.

In such manifestations, treatment of the disease itself will be required, and, as a result, elimination of hemorrhage in the eyes.

Conjunctivitis is a disease that causes capillaries to dilate. Accompanied by itching, discomfort in the eyes, and tearing. The disease requires treatment prescribed by a specialist.

A disease that leads to permanently red eyes is blepharitis. It has an allergic, ulcerative or seborrheic form of manifestation. Treatment is required by a specialist in this field.

Constantly red eyes are present in a person suffering from vascular disease. Eye diseases lead to stable rupture of capillaries.

Starting from inflammatory processes in the eyes and infections, and ending with malignant or benign formations - this is all the reason for frequent redness of the eyes.

Diabetes mellitus causes thinning of blood vessels, and at the slightest stress they rupture. Here you will need treatment of the underlying disease.

Lack of vitamins leads to frequent ruptures of capillaries. For prevention, you need to follow a nutritious diet. Eat vitamin C.

Frequent consumption of alcohol leads to wear and tear of the blood vessels, and they become damaged.

To avoid the problem, you need to lead a correct lifestyle, consult a specialist at the first manifestations of the disease, get a good night's sleep and often be in the fresh air.

You can make lotions from cucumber, as well as rubbing with pieces of ice and parsley.

Causes

In children over 1 year old, blood vessels in the eyes may burst for the following reasons:

• Increased fragility of blood vessels. In this case, they can burst even when coughing or crying.
• Eye injury while playing. This is especially true for children, as they tend to play pranks and fight.
• Infectious diseases - tonsillitis, pneumonia, influenza, conjunctivitis.
• Changes in blood pressure. They occur as a result of weather changes, moving to a different climate zone, or frequent illnesses.
• Metabolic pathologies. Frequent damage to the eye capillaries indicates developing diabetes or hypovitaminosis.
• External irritants - bright light, excessively dry air, frosty wind. They lead to inflammation, which causes the child to rub his eyes. This can cause the smallest blood vessels to burst.
• Getting a foreign body into the eyes also causes vascular damage.
• Eye strain while watching TV or playing games on the computer. Excessive smartphone use also contributes to red eyes. To prevent a child from becoming a slave to gadgets, parents need to control the time spent with them.
• The blood vessels in the eye can burst due to constipation. When straining, blood pressure increases, and if the blood vessels are fragile, they burst.
• Red spots on the whites of the eyes can appear during puberty due to hormonal changes in the body.

Causes in newborns

Rupture of a capillary vessel in newborns is quite common. This is due to the stress that the baby experiences while passing through the birth canal. Vessels may burst due to increased pressure on the head. Redness can affect 2 eyes, and this indicates severe pressure.

Sometimes a newborn can injure their eyes on their own because they cannot control their movements. In this case, you need to watch him. If the redness does not go away, contact a pediatrician or neonatologist.

Reasons for development

The most common causes of the development of retinal angiopathy in children of the first year of life are:

1. Type 1 diabetes, when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. A decrease in insulin levels leads to the accumulation of sugar in the extracellular space, which contributes to the development of swelling of the retinal capillaries, narrowing of their lumen, and changes in blood consistency (it becomes thicker). As a result, the blood flow process is disrupted and the risk of vascular thrombosis increases, which often leads to their rupture. Metabolic processes in the retinal area are disrupted, which contributes to the formation of glial tissue in this area, which grows over time, affecting the vitreous body. This can provoke retinal detachment, and, as a result, loss of vision.
2. Increased blood pressure levels. In childhood, this condition is most often a consequence of diseases of the internal organs (for example, the adrenal glands, brain, kidneys and their arteries). In this case, blood flow in the retinal area is disrupted, as the vessels themselves change: the arteries narrow, the veins, on the contrary, become excessively wide.
3. Birth injury of the cervical spine. Angiopathy caused by this reason is reversible, and as soon as the child’s condition returns to normal, vision returns.
4. Impaired functioning of the child's cardiovascular system.
5. Improper nutrition of the mother during pregnancy.
6. Hypoxia developing in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy or during childbirth.
7. Birth head injury.

Treatment

Treatment for ruptured blood vessels in young children will vary depending on the cause. In each case, parents need to show restraint and patience. The principles of parental behavior when red spots appear in the eye are as follows:

• Carefully examine the mucous membrane. If there is a foreign body on it, you can rinse the eye with water. An older child can be asked to dip his face in a bowl of water and open his eyes. It is allowed to use saline solution for rinsing.
• If you experience eye strain after reading or working on a computer, you need to provide rest. During rest periods, you should isolate your baby from the TV and monitor.
• If symptoms persist, you should consult a doctor.

If red dots and lines in the eyes are the cause of physical and mental fatigue, excessive use of the computer, then you need to provide the baby with peace and just wait a few days. In the absence of other diseases, the red dots will disappear.

Additionally, the eyes are instilled with artificial tear preparations. They are available in every pharmacy without a prescription.

It is not recommended to use antibiotics before visiting an eye doctor. You should not take Albucid on your own.

In case of injury and developing bruising, apply cold to the affected area. Due to the low temperature, vasoconstriction occurs, reducing swelling. If debris, sand or dust gets on the mucous membranes, it is enough to rinse them with cold water, a decoction of chamomile or black tea.

Therapy for hemorrhages comes down to the following measures:

• elimination of external irritants (for example, dust or sand);
• stopping the use of contact lenses;
• treatment of the underlying disease that led to redness of the eye;
• using drops to reduce pressure inside the eye and locally strengthen blood vessels.

The advisability of using medications is determined only by a doctor. Self-treatment of burst blood vessels causes irreparable harm to the organ of vision.

It is useful for children to take dietary supplements to strengthen the walls of blood vessels: Ascorutin, Blueberry forte. Taufon can only be used as prescribed by a doctor.

Treatment for infants

If a blood vessel bursts during childbirth in an infant, no special treatment is required. Minor injury to the blood vessels of infants does not pose a threat to their life. If the baby's eye condition does not return to normal within a few days, you should consult a doctor.

Vitamin drops may be prescribed to strengthen the capillary walls.

Broken eye vessels in children

In small newborns, capillaries in the eye may burst immediately after birth.

Statistics say that such situations occur in approximately 20% of cases of normal natural childbirth. When labor stimulation is used during childbirth, this figure increases to 40%.

Depending on the location of the hemorrhage, there are two types:

• Hemorrhages into the outer tunica albuginea
• Hemorrhages inside the eye

Hemorrhages in the eye in infants do not require special treatment. They resolve on their own within 2-3 weeks.

Prevention

Parents should monitor the child and prevent him from getting injured. Attentive parenting will help prevent red spots from appearing in the eye.

Preventive measures boil down to:

• strengthening the body's immune defense;
• impeccable adherence to safety regulations;
• ensuring safe living conditions;
• restrictions on the menu of sweets and allergenic foods;
• eliminating a sedentary lifestyle, regular physical exercise;
• sufficient exposure to fresh air;
• prophylactic intake of ascorbic acid;
• exercise caution everywhere and in everything;
• ensuring good lighting in the room where the child is.

For preventive purposes, vitamin and mineral complexes should be taken. There should be fresh vegetables and fruits on the table every day. Carrots and citrus fruits are especially useful.

The child should know the general rules of hygienic eye care. He needs to be explained that it is unacceptable to rub his eyes with dirty hands.

Causes of eye pathology in children

When making a diagnosis, the doctor takes into account the age of the baby, as well as the presence of chronic diseases that could provoke the pathology. The causes of eye disease can be:

• neurological diseases;
• heredity;
• intrauterine infection of the fetus;
• chronic infections;
• eye microtraumas;
• poor nutrition, excessive eye strain.

A good pediatric ophthalmologist will conduct a comprehensive examination of the child and, if necessary, prescribe a consultation with highly specialized specialists.

Useful video

More useful information about red dots or spots in the eyes can be found in the following videos:

Typically, the appearance of a red spot in the eyes is not associated with organic eye damage. It quickly disappears without visible consequences. However, if a child suffers from hypertension or diabetes, it is necessary to carefully monitor his eyes. When the first suspicious symptoms appear, you should consult a doctor.

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In what cases is it necessary to consult an ophthalmologist?

The absence of a focused gaze on objects and a fixed gaze on toys in a three-month-old baby, swelling and redness of the eyelids, purulent discharge from the eyes, increased vascular patterns on the eyeballs are reasons to make an appointment with a pediatric ophthalmologist at the clinic. It is also worth seeking help from a specialist in case of strabismus, different pupil diameters, lacrimation and complaints of double vision.

What does an examination with an ophthalmologist consist of:

• hardware examination of the anterior and posterior parts of the eye;
• visometry (carried out using a table to test vision in children);
• additional examination methods (biomicroscopy, autorefractometry, computer perimetry).

On our website you can make an appointment with a paid children's ophthalmologist and undergo a full examination.