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the rare occurrence, documented this month in a bmj case study , prompted an alarmed young woman to rush to the hospital after blood began seeping out of both her eyes. the 25-year-old indian patient was not injured, ill or experiencing any other symptoms. she said it was only the second time it had happened, and that both episodes occurred during her period, with the first encounter also including a nose bleed.
“drops of blood were seen to be coming out from both the eyes (but) there was no injury to the eye,” the researchers wrote . “it was not accompanied by headache or giddiness … there was no family history of such a condition. she lived happily with her family, according to her husband.”
haemolacria, more morbidly known as blood tears, is a rare condition that causes a person to produce tears mixed with their blood, according to healthline . while there is often no clear explanation for the relatively benign phenomenon, it is believed haemolacria may be caused by a variety of factors, including hormonal changes, inflammation, conjunctival injuries, high blood pressure and certain blood disorders.
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another patient, also from india, experienced similar symptoms a few years ago, but ocular vicarious menstruation was quickly ruled out as the girl was only 11 years old. she was reportedly discharging bloody tears, unconnected to stress, multiple times a day for a week, with each episode lasting a few minutes.
“i am worried about my daughter’s health,” the girl’s mother reportedly said. “the blood coming from her eyes is horrifying. i hope there will not be any similar episodes in future.”
dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca
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