Trauma or health conditions that damage your eyes or blood vessels over time cause retinal hemorrhages. The most common causes of retinal hemorrhages include:

  • Trauma.
  • Vascular disease (conditions that affect your blood vessels).
  • Autoimmune disorders.

Leukemia and infections like bacterial endocarditis can also cause retinal hemorrhages. People older than 40 are more likely to develop age-related eye conditions like macular degeneration that can cause retinal hemorrhages.

Even if you have a condition that can lead to a retinal hemorrhage, it doesn’t mean you’ll definitely develop one. Similarly, it’s possible to experience a retinal hemorrhage without knowing you have one of these conditions.

See your healthcare provider for regular checkups to help catch warning signs of a condition or issue that might cause a retinal hemorrhage in the future.

Visit your eye care specialist as soon as you notice any changes in your eyes or vision.

Trauma

Trauma that causes retinal hemorrhages includes:

  • Eye injuries: Any injury that damages your head or eyes can damage the blood vessels in your retinas.
  • Shaken baby syndrome: Shaking an infant or toddler can cause bleeding in their brain and retinas.
  • Altitude sickness: Moving to a higher elevation too fast can change the pressure in your eyes fast enough to cause a retinal hemorrhage. This can also happen if you’re a scuba diver who ascends from deep water too quickly.
  • Carbon monoxide poisoning: Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning happens when you breathe in fumes that contain CO. You can get very sick or even die if you breathe high levels of CO for even a few minutes.

Vascular disease

Conditions that damage or restrict your blood vessels can lead to a retinal hemorrhage. These conditions can be dangerous because they don’t usually cause symptoms until they’ve already damaged your blood vessels enough to cause complications. The most common types of vascular disease that cause retinal hemorrhages include:

  • Hypertension (high blood pressure).
  • High cholesterol.
  • Retinal vein occlusions (RVOs).
  • Postpartum preeclampsia.
  • Anemia.

Autoimmune disorder

Autoimmune disorders happen when your immune system accidentally attacks your body instead of protecting it. It’s unclear why your immune system does this. Some types of autoimmune disorders can damage your retinas and cause retinal hemorrhages, including:

  • Diabetes.
  • Lupus.
  • Vasculitis.