I had a really miserable cold this past weekend, and late Friday night I had a persistent, heavy cough that just wouldn't ease up.
I hacked and coughed and coughed and hacked... until I saw three bold black lines in the vision of my right eye. I had popped a blood vessel and blood was leaking into my eye. My eye doctor advised me to go to an emergency room to be sure I did not tear my retina. I have a history of retina tears in the past.
Saturday morning it was difficult to see anything out of my right eye, and at the UCLA Medical Center where they had eye specialists on duty, they confirmed I had popped a blood vessel from the strain and pressure of coughing. Some people, I was told, can cause this kind of eye damage from straining, rigorous exercise, and being constipated of all things. I was told it would take seven to ten days for my eye to clear naturally.
It's now late Monday night and about 30% of my vision has returned. There is no pain, never has been. Just a big black cloud floating inside my eye that blocks "the picture."
It's a reminder of how precious your sight is. I'm lucky. I'll be back to normal in about a week.