From the Guidelines
You can generally wear contact lenses with a subconjunctival hemorrhage, but it's best to temporarily discontinue use until the initial irritation subsides. A subconjunctival hemorrhage is a broken blood vessel under the conjunctiva that appears as a bright red patch on the white of your eye. While it looks alarming, it's usually harmless and resolves on its own within 1-2 weeks without treatment. If your eye feels comfortable and isn't irritated, you can resume contact lens wear after a few days of giving your eye a rest. However, if you experience pain, vision changes, or increased redness, remove your contacts immediately and consult an eye care professional. The hemorrhage itself doesn't typically affect contact lens wear, but the underlying cause might have created temporary surface irregularities that could make contacts uncomfortable. Using lubricating eye drops (artificial tears) before inserting contacts may help with comfort. Remember to practice good contact lens hygiene by cleaning them properly and replacing them according to schedule to prevent further irritation, as recommended by the FDA and CDC 1.
Some key points to consider when wearing contact lenses with a subconjunctival hemorrhage include:
- Washing your hands with soap and water, and drying them before handling contact lenses every time 1
- Not sleeping in your contact lenses unless instructed by your eye doctor 1
- Not storing your contact lenses in water and keeping water away from your contact lenses 1
- Rubbing and rinsing contact lenses in disinfecting solution each time you remove them, and rubbing and rinsing the case with contact lens solution, drying it with a clean tissue, and storing it upside down with the caps off after each use 1
- Replacing the solution in contact lens cases each time the lenses are disinfected and using only fresh contact lens disinfecting solution in your case—never mixing old and new solutions 1
It's essential to follow the specific contact lens cleaning and storage guidelines from your doctor and the solution manufacturer, and to keep the contact lens case clean and replace it every 3 months 1. If you experience any symptoms such as redness, pain, tearing, increased light sensitivity, blurry vision, discharge, or swelling, remove the contact lenses and consult your doctor immediately 1.
From the Research
Wearing Contact Lenses with Subconjunctival Hemorrhage
- It is generally not recommended to wear contact lenses with a subconjunctival hemorrhage, as it may exacerbate the condition or lead to further complications 2.
- Subconjunctival hemorrhage is a known risk factor associated with contact lens usage, particularly in younger patients 3.
- A study found that contact lens-induced subconjunctival hemorrhage typically affects one or two regions of the temporal conjunctiva, and is associated with conjunctivochalasis and pinguecula 2.
- The presence of conjunctivochalasis and pinguecula are major risk factors for contact lens-induced subconjunctival hemorrhage, and individuals with these conditions should be cautious when wearing contact lenses 2.
- In some cases, subconjunctival hemorrhage may be a sign of an underlying systemic disorder, such as a blood dyscrasia or blood clotting disorder, and further evaluation may be necessary 4, 5.
- Soft contact lens users should be monitored for the development of significant neovascularization, which can increase the risk of subepithelial intracorneal hemorrhage 6.