Why is my child crying bloody tears?
The Doc Smitty gives 5 reasons why it could happen
What would you do if your child started having bloody tears? Often I write about things that most of you will deal with at some time or another.
But, every now and then, something really interesting grabs my attention as something that you might find interesting, even if it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever see it. This is one of those posts.
Children can cry bloody tears. It’s very rare. It’s usually not caused by anything concerning. But, imagine if your child walked up to you with blood streaming down his or her face.
What are the possible causes?
1. Trauma
I would hope that if your child got poked in the corner of the eye and was crying bloody tears, you would be able to quickly deduce the cause but here it is.
2. Infection
Sometimes infections (like pink eye) can cause enough inflammation such that bleeding can occur. The tissue around the eye is pretty fragile and when it is inflamed, small cracks can cause it to bleed.
3. Just Because
Bloody tears seem to sometimes happen just because. Even after investigation into possible causes, no diagnosis is made. These cases tend to resolve over a few months.
4. Conditions that Cause Easy Bleeding
There are a few conditions that can cause children to bleed more easily. Some children are born with them and some develop them over time. If a child has easy bleeding or excessive bruising, this could be the cause.
5. Bloody Noses
Children with bloody noses can also shed bloody tears.
How? There is a small tube that connects the corner of the eye to the area behind the nose. It’s called the tear duct and this tube is the reason why your nose starts running when you ugly cry.
If your child’s nose is bleeding a lot or if they are trying to stop a bloody nose by applying pressure and sneeze or blow out hard, the blood can come out the duct as a tear.
What do you do for your child if they have bloody tears? Of course, it’s different for each cause. If there’s a stick coming out of it, go to the emergency room. If the child has had red eyes, other signs of easy bleeding or you can find no other cause, call your doctor. If your child has had a bloody nose, continue to apply pressure to the nose to stop the bleeding. Once the bloody nose has stopped, the bleeding tears should stop. If it doesn’t, call your doctor.
Get to know Justin Smith, M.D.
Justin Smith, M.D., is a pediatrician in Trophy Club and the Medical Advisor for Digital Health for Cook Children's in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Smith is an experienced keynote speaker for a variety of topics including pediatric/parenting topics, healthcare social media and physician leadership. If you are interested in having Dr. Smith present to your conference or meeting, please contact him at thedocsmitty@cookchildrens.org.
He has an active community on both Facebook and Twitter as @TheDocSmitty and writes weekly for Cook Children's checkupnewsroom.com. He believes that strategic use of social media and technology by pediatricians to connect with families can deepen their relationship and provide a new level of convenience for both of their busy lifestyles. Dr. Smith’s innovative pediatric clinic, a pediatric clinic “designed by you,” open now. Click here to make an appointment, call 817-347-8100.
I feel much calmer after reading the stories of other children having the same issue. He's 7 years old and it gets the occasional nose-bleed but never with bloody tears (until today). Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your child’s nose bleeding stories. I have an 8 year old who has nose bleeding since todler but never with bloody tears until recently. For the first time seeing my child with bloody nose and blood dripping down from her eye was so frightening. I took my child to her doctor the next day and he didn’t seem to be concerned so much but recommended me to see an eye and nose specialist just because I am concerned, he said.
Now reading this stories of kids who have the same problem with my child makes me feel a bit relieved.
Thank you again for sharing your stories!