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  • Photo of a subconjunctival hemorrhage, when one or more blood spots appear on the white of your eye.

    Subconjunctival Hemorrhage Causes

    Reviewed By Odalys Mendoza, MD
    Published Apr. 23, 2020

    Coughing, sneezing, straining, or other similar actions most commonly cause subconjunctival hemorrhages. This is because they briefly raise blood pressure in your veins. That quick pressure rise can cause capillaries to break.

    Trauma to the eye can also cause subconjunctival hemorrhage. Even rubbing your eyes too hard might cause capillaries to break.

    Less common causes of subconjunctival hemorrhage include:

    • diabetes
    • high blood pressure
    • medicines that can make you bleed easily (such as aspirin or blood thinners like Coumadin)

    Rarely, subconjunctival hemorrhage is caused by a blood clotting disorder or other blood problem that affects your whole body.