Anyone can experience a retinal hemorrhage. People with certain health conditions are more likely to develop one, including:
- High cholesterol (hyperlipidemia).
- High blood pressure (hypertension).
- Atherosclerosis.
- Diabetes.
- Macular degeneration.
People who take blood thinners like (aspirin or warfarin) have a higher risk of retinal hemorrhages.
Babies are sometimes born with a retinal hemorrhage. Around half of babies born via assisted delivery (like vacuum extraction and forceps delivery) have a retinal hemorrhage at birth.
It’s more common for adults older than 40 to experience a retinal hemorrhage as they develop common age-related eye problems.