When blood cells collect in anterior chamber of the eye between the iris and the cornea, the condition is known as a hyphema. The bleeding is caused by damage to blood vessels in the eye. Some patients may have problems with recurring bleeding after the initial injury. The blood may cover all or part of the iris and may permanently impact vision or cause increased intraocular pressure, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The symptoms of this condition include blurred vision, pain and sensitivity to light.
Trauma
Traumas from blunt injury from sports or the workplace cause the vast majority of hyphemas, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The blunt force tears blood vessels inside the eye, which causes bleeding.
Surgery
Surgery inside the eye, such as cataract removal, can lead to bleeding inside the eye and the formation of a hyphema, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Some types of artificial lenses used after cataract surgery can cause bleeding inside the eye as well. Laser surgery for glaucoma can cause bleeding inside the eye if a blood vessel is damaged during the procedure.
Abnormal Blood Vessels
Some conditions of the eye lead to the development of abnormal blood vessels on the iris, such as advanced diabetic retinopathy or vein occlusions. These new blood vessels are also more fragile and can break and bleed, causing a hyphema, according to the Allina Health System.
Cancer of the Eye
Iris melanomas can cause hyphemas of the eye. Other types of cancers that may cause hyphemas include leukemias or retinoblastomas, according to the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.
Blood Abnormalities
Blood abnormalities can cause hyphemas without any earlier injury, according to Michael I. Greenberg in the 2005 textbook "Greenberg's Text-Atlas of Emergency Medicine." Patients with bleeding disorders like hemophilia or Von Willebrand's disease are at risk for bleeding into the eye as well.
