Could vomiting cause prominence of the vessels of sclera?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a 21 year old female. I was bulimic for about a year. It happens once or twice a week. I never noticed any permanent changes in my eyes throughout my episodes. However, the last time I ever binged and purged three months ago, I vomited violently. A few weeks after this, I noticed that the vessels in my sclera are indefinitely more prominent than before. Did this happen because of the continuous pressure subjected to my eyes with vomiting? Or could it just be due to many hours of reading and laptop use? I have seen an ophthalmologist and he said that there is nothing wrong with my eyes and suspect a very mild case of blepharitis or bilateral dry eyes. I am using Optive comfort solution. I would like to know if my bulimic phase could have caused the prominent vessels in my eyes, as this has not been mentioned anywhere else online.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern regarding your complaints.

Do you have any pain in your eyes or developed any problem in vision in that duration? Is it associated with any redness?

It would have been of help if you have sent a recent photograph of both of your eyes. Keep using Optive comfort eye solution.

Please get your intraocular pressure checked and fundus examination under slit lamp to check for any effects of raising pressure.

If you are highly myopic (short-sight), then see your ophthalmologist to rule out staphyloma (protrusion of sclera or cornea).

Revert back with the answers to the above questions to an eye care ophthalmologist online.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

You may not be actually having any prominence of vessels in the sclera or episclera that is pathological otherwise your ophthalmologist would have diagnosed it.

I would like to tell you that your BMI - body mass index is quite high and you should try to control it with exercises and controlling your diet.

I would like to mention that fluorescein staining which was done by your ophthalmologist was to check the dryness of eyes, which may also be a cause that you are feeling your normal vessels of sclera while blinking.

Mild pain may be due to blepharitis, which is an infection of eyelids and it is also mild at present as you told.

Again, I would like to mention that a photograph would have helped me in saying that whether it is physiological or pathological.