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Hemolacria (bloody tears) is a very rare condition in which people cry blood. Hemolacria is usually a symptom of the disease, but in some cases it may develop spontaneously. Then its causes are unknown. What is haemolacria and what diseases can it indicate? How is hemolacria treated?
Hamolakria( bloody tears ) is a very rare condition in which blood is found in the tears. Blood levels in tears may be very low - then blood can only be detected by laboratory tests. If its concentration is high, it may give the impression that your eyes are bleeding.
Hemolakria was first diagnosed in the 16th century by the Italian physician Antonio Brassavola. He examined a nun who had bloody tears at the start of her menstrual period. In 1581, another case of haemolacria was described by a Flemish physician. In his 16-year-old girl, bloody tears were the result of the so-called substitute menstruation.
Hemolakria (bloody tears) - causes
According to specialists, bloody tears, similar to nosebleeds instead of menstruation, may indicate substitute bleeding (substitution menstruation), i.e. menstrual bleeding from a different orifice in the body. In addition, bloody tears may appear during pregnancy and the menopause. According to scientists, it's all to blame for hormonal disorders. However, these are very rare situations.
The most common cause of haemolacria is inflammation, such as bacterial conjunctivitis, chemical conjunctivitis, which is caused by silver nitrate irritating the conjunctiva. Bloody tears can also be a symptom of a cancer of the eye (e.g. a tumor in the lacrimal gland) or the brain (a tumor near the eye can press against blood vessels, causing them to burst). Hemolacria can also be the result of head trauma, obstruction of the tear ducts, blood clots, as well as the action of a venom or a toxin, such as snake venom. Such a case took place in March 2013. While walking on the beach, the Canadian was bitten by a poisonous snake, causing him to suffer bloody tears, painful swelling and kidney failure. According to scientists, other causes of eye bleeding can also be extreme stress or mental disorders. It is worth knowing that bloody tears canalso manifest some systemic infections, e.g. hemorrhagic fever, in the course of which blood vessels are ruptured, which leads to numerous bleeding.
Idiopathic hemolacria
Sometimes it is not possible to determine the cause of bloody tears. Then it is called idiopathic haemolacria, which occurs only in a few people in the world, usually young. Dr. Barrett G. Haik, director of the Hamilton Eye Institute (University of Tennessee He alth Science Center, Memphis), has studied cases of unexplained and spontaneous episodes with tears of blood. His report, which was published in 2004 in the journal Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, shows that from 1992 to 2003, there were only two known cases of hemolacria diagnosed with known causes and four cases of spontaneous hemolacria with no medical cause. One such case was haemolacria diagnosed in 2003 in a 22-year-old resident of Tennessee in the US, Michael Spann. The American had tears of blood when he had a severe headache. Then blood began to flow from the nose and mouth as well. For 7 years, Michael shed tears of blood several times a day. It was not until 2010 that the frequency of bleeding decreased - since then, bleeding occurs only 1-2 times a week.
In 2009, another Tennessee resident was diagnosed with hemolacry: Calvino Inman, 15. The teenager also complained of bloody tears appearing several times a day.
Twinkle Dwivedi from India also suffers from haemolacria of unknown cause. The teenager has been struggling with tears of blood since she was 11 years old, i.e. since 2007. Bleeding from the eyes, as well as from the nose, scalp, neck and sole of the feet, occurs 3 to 20 times a day, which weakens the girl's body. In turn, her compatriot, Rashida Khatoon, who was diagnosed with haemolacria in 2009, struggles with fainting, which accompanies bleeding from the eyes. These are not the only annoying symptoms that may accompany haemolacria. Yaritza Oliva, a 21-year-old resident of Chile who was diagnosed with haemolacria in 2013, suffers from a severe headache when blood tears begin to flow from her eyes.
Hemolakria (bloody tears) - treatment
Treatment of hemolacria depends on its cause. It is worth knowing that haemolacria can be confused with severe anemia, vascular tumors, Osler-Weber-Rendu disease (congenital haemorrhagic angioma), haemophilia and other coagulopathies (blood clotting disorders).
Idipathic hemolacria is not a life-threatening condition and usually disappears like thisunexpectedly, as it appeared, without treatment - emphasizes Dr. Barrett G. Haik from the Hamilton Eye Institute.