Busted Blood Vessel

My 13 yr old daughter had a busted blood vessel in her left eye about 2 weeks ago and now it has come back again.  What causes this and should I make her the appointment with her eye dr.  I called and they said it would clear up and if not come in but it did clear up and now its back again.
Thanks

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

She might have coughed or sneezed or strained very hard and busted the vessel in the conjunctiva. Also vomiting can also cause this.  (Just an outside thought - sometimes seen with bulemics.) You might want to at least look into those two possibilities.  Also make sure she is not bleeding from her gums or bruising very easily or getting nosebleeds as that could indicate a bleeding problem.  If asprin is being taken, that also make the blood much "thinner" and more prone to bleed.  In general if the eye feels fine and has excellent vision, and there was no trauma to the eye, then the small area of blood on the conjuctiva is usually not a problem, but I often invite nervous patients to go ahead and come into the office to make sure that everything checks out OK.

Michael Kutryb,MD