Red eye: I am on prasugrel , aspirin... - British Heart Fou...

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Red eye

jon22 profile image
15 Replies

I am on prasugrel , aspirin, bisoprolol, atorvastatin and ramipril. Noticed what looks like a bleed in my eye. Is this anything to be worried about?

I have also had a very large bruise (and a hard centre) on my right arm - rang up my doctor about this and I am going for blood tests next Tuesday.

Thank you.

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jon22
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15 Replies
Plastow48 profile image
Plastow48

I suffer a lot from this and mentioned it to my doctor and optician. They told me it was nothing to worry about. First I usually know is when people ask me what is wrong with my eye.

Dovaston profile image
Dovaston

Hi Jon I also get this Red Eye and it is a bit disconcerting isn’t it. I had an eye test a month or so ago and the Optician said it was nothing to be concerned about.

If you are bothered get an eye test when circumstances allow !

MichaelJH profile image
MichaelJHHeart Star

This is called a subconjunctival hemorrhage and results from a break in a small blood vessel in the sclera, the white of the eye. I have had it a few times and it had many causes such as straining when lifting, coughing, sneezing, vomiting, etc. Blood thinners can make you more prone to it. The good news is it is usually harmless but you should seek medical advice if it becomes painful, there is a discharge from the eye, there is change in vision or it does not clear in a few weeks.

Like bruises it can change colour when healing so don't be alarmed if it looks brown/yellow/green it a few days. Wearing shades stops people asking "What have you done to your eye"? 😎

Milkfairy profile image
MilkfairyHeart Star in reply to MichaelJH

Babies get them too it's a tight squeeze coming into the world.

They can take upto 6 weeks to resolve completely

HectorsDad profile image
HectorsDad in reply to MichaelJH

Or ‘subcutaneous bleed’ which is what I was told- not sure if that’s exactly the same.

Hatchjd profile image
Hatchjd

It is a small burst blood vessel. Probably due to the aspirin and prasugel blood thinners. It is harmless but not pretty to look at. Think of it like a bruise but the conjunctiva covering the white of the eye is clear so it appears red.

Robster12 profile image
Robster12 in reply to Hatchjd

I am on the same medication since October since then everyone now and then yellow an green bruises just appear on my arms an legs but in two to three weeks they disappear apparently it’s due to the blood thinners

MichaelJH profile image
MichaelJHHeart Star

The eye bleed that is dangerous is a retinal bleed. Usually this is a complication of diabetes but may also be caused by high blood pressure, smoking and some medications. Retinal photography, more common nowadays, csn spot problems developing although an optician can also use slit lamp. (a special microscope and light that lets them see your eyes in 3-D, both inside and out) an/or an ophthalmoscope.

An a long term diabetic I had my annual check on Monday (by a masked man). They do have additional screening in place.

Mary_Janet profile image
Mary_Janet

I had a wee bleed like this, it happened spontaneously. I am on warfarin. I phoned NHS24 who sent me to casualty where I waited 4 hrs to be seen on a busy Friday night and then had to try to read eye charts at 3am ! I was told that everything was fine and I had done the right thing coming in. I was told to see the optician on the Monday. That was fine and the optician said , if it happened again I should go there first to save a trip to hospital. Over the next few days the white of my eye turned yellow and eventually back to white. At the time my INR was within target. It has not happened again. Hope things settle for you.

Bicyclist profile image
Bicyclist

I have an eye similar, in fact it's a bit worse. I had to send a photo to the nurse practitioner, she explained what it was. I told her I had a spike in my BP for a couple of days, really high but it has now normalised. She said it could have been that and told me to keep an eye on the blood pressure but nothing to worry about.

HectorsDad profile image
HectorsDad

It needs checking if it happens out of the blue, but is nearly always meaningless. Some people are prone to it, and once you have had it a couple of times, it is likely to be quite common. I have every couple of weeks- long before my heart attack, but our drugs may make it more obvious or frequent.

I sometimes feel it’s a bit bruised or irritate, but often my wife has to tell me my ‘my eye has popped’ just in case I smile at small children😂😳😭😱

valeriep profile image
valeriep

Obviously, best to mention it to your doctor, but I've had this, only worse - gave me a hell of a shock when I looked at myself in the mirror first thing in the morning! The only thing I can put it down to was that I'd sneezed violently a couple of times before going to bed the night before. Apparently, it's usually harmless and exacerbated by the blood thinners. It took a few weeks to fade, but eventually disappeared naturally.

jon22 profile image
jon22

Thank you for all your replies, which were very helpful. I will also ask the nurse when I have my bloods done next Tuesday.

I also have this problem, I have found that it occurs after time spent in the garden, weeding, planting which involves bending forward from the waist for a period of time. Visited my optician and he found no cause for worry. Took a photo and showed the Consultant and she changed my blood thinning medication and problem has lessened. I do as much weeding etc sitting down on gardening stool which helps.

jon22 profile image
jon22

Update.

I had my bloods taken on the 28th April and my doctor called me to discuss my results a week later. The result was abnormal. The doctor said that I had to have another blood test as my platelet count was 140 and should be in the range 150 to 400. Another blood test was needed to see if there was a downward trend.

I went for another blood test on the 13th May and have been logging on everyday to my online medical records(my surgery operates an online system) to see my results but nothing has appeared. I rang my surgery yesterday who said the results had not been received from the hospital , so I arranged a call with my doctor for next Tuesday. I then rang the hospital where I had my bloods taken and they confirmed they had sent the results on 14th May! I am worried, so this morning I logged into my online medical records again and the results have been filed ! Not sure why it took over a week to appear in my online account?

Anyway the result is still abnormal and not only that my platelet count has dropped to 125. It says :

Platelet count - observation 125 10*9/L [150.0 - 410.0]

Below low reference limit

Also :

Total white blood count 4.2 10*9/L [4.0 - 10.0]

Red blood cell count 4.93 10*12/L [4.5 - 5.5]

Neutrophil count 1.8 10*9/L [2.0 - 7.0]

Below low reference limit

Basophil count 0.03 10*9/L [0.02 - 0.1]

I have now got to wait until next Tuesday for my appointment with my doctor.

All very worrying.

Could it be the prasugrel that I am on affecting my platelet count?

I looked back over my blood test results and pre-heart attack it was 159 so even then it was just in the normal range. Now its 125 and appears to be falling.

Many thanks.

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