Hyphema is a type of eye condition where any form of blunt trauma causes bleeding in anterior chamber (front) of the eye. This anterior chamber of the eye is the space between the iris and the cornea. Hyphema occurs when blood leaks into the aqueous humor. This accumulation of blood causes partial vision loss. This is generally visible to the naked eye.
The anterior chamber of the eye contains a transparent liquid fluid known as aqueous humor. During the cilliary processes that take place in the posterior chamber of the eye, the aqueous humor is secreted. It then enters into the anterior chamber via the pupil. The main purpose of the aqueous humor is to provide nutrition to the inner eye structures.
Causes of Hyphema
Hyphema is mainly caused by any kind of eye trauma. This eye trauma may be caused by an injury from a fall, an accidental blow from a stick, a ball or a flying object. Sometimes hyphema is also associated with surgical procedures. Few other causes include ocular tumors and sudden vessel growth in the eye.
Symptoms of Hyphema
- Elevated eye pressure: Blood accumulation may result in development of high pressure in the eye. It is very important to control the rise in pressure as it may lead to glaucoma.
- Decrease in vision: In some cases, the eye vision is reduced to light detection and hand movements only. This depends on the amount of blood accumulated in the eye.
- Blood in the eye: Sometimes the eye may appear as if it is filled with blood. This happens when the hyphema is large. Whereas, smaller hyphema is hardly visible to the naked eye.
