What are the causes and symptoms of retinal hemorrhage?
Retinal hemorrhages can be caused by injuries, usually forceful blows to the head during accidents and falls, as well as by adverse health conditions. In infants, retinal hemorrhage is frequently associated with child abuse and has been termed shaken baby syndrome. A condition called retinopathy of prematurity occurs in prematurely born infants or infants with low birth weights. When children are born prematurely, the blood vessels in the eye may not have had time to fully develop and may become damaged easily, leaking or hemorrhaging. The condition must be determined by an opthalmologist, as the symptoms are not readily observable. Diabetic retinopathy is a common eye problem associated with diabetes. Diabetes, by stressing the circulatory system, can cause damage, including hemorrhaging, to the small blood vessels of the retina. Non-proliferative retinopathy occurs when the damaged or leaking blood vessels do not spread. Symptoms of this disorder include vision spots, floaters (float
