can flying cause eye bleeds ? insight would be appreciated

ok so my GF has problems with her eyes....this is only a recent thing and the doctors have no idea what has caused her these issues....in the eye hospital she is pretty much like a wow factor...there are multiple doctors whom come and check it out to the point they use her as test subject....i have personally witnessed at least 10 different doctors come an check out her eyes and they all they all just say "wow"....part of the what is happening is she has a severe form of occlusive vasculitis,this is where a large amount of veins grow in her eyes to try and get blood to the retina,most of these veins dont work and she ends up with what i can only describe a weeds growing in her eyes,these weeds block any drainage ducts,a symptom of this is increased pressure in her eyes,these viens rupture which can lead to blindness...she has already lost around 60% of her vision....

she also gets eye bleeds which cause floaters,but not so often and the remedy for this is lazer treatment which removes the manky veins but it also removes more vision as it literally kills the eye where it is zapped....

now she recently visited me here on the nsw border from sydney so it is maybe a 50 minute flight and within an hour of being here she had another eye bleed...this is the second time after a flight she has had an eye bleed literally after getting off the plane...

now the question i have "is it possible that the increased pressure from the flight(cabin pressure etc) have an impact on the eye bleed?"
the doctors say no it doesn't but after a short google search i would say the answer is inconclusive...some say yes some say no....

i was hoping the wonderful hive mind that is ATS could further our knowledge on this...has anyone had similar experiences or know anyone who has?

Oh yeah. For my husbands birthday I bought him a 30 minute flight on an Albatros L39, and there was a young man there that had his eyes completey red- it looked like all the blood vessels had exploded. I had never seen anything like it.
He taken a lot of positive Gs . Granted, a regular flight wouldn't give the same levels of pressure, but it sounds like she has a problem which renders her more vulnerable.
I am not familiar with what you describe she has - sounds similar to a DMLA- my mother in law has that and is almost completely blind now.

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

i have experienced severe pressure behind my eyes while flying. most noticeable during the landings. pain so strong i come close to getting sick.

luckily it doesn't happen every time.

but yeah cabin pressure can affect your eyes.

a reply to: Bluesma

thankyou for the reply....my suspicions are that the increased pressure can cause vessels to rupture....

a reply to: subfab

thankyou for your reply.....the fact that are eyes,ears and nose are all connected leads me to believe this could be a factor....and judging by the first 2 replies flying may not be a good idea for her

Though veno-occlusive disease is a recognized risk factor in flying, if the problem is vasculitic and not thrombotic, then flying should pose no risks and no preventive measures should be taken.

However, if your girlfriend has had surgeries involving injection of a bubble to keep the retina flat, this will expand at high altitudes. If this is the case, the airline should know to organize a low altitude flight.

originally posted by: alexball
Though veno-occlusive disease is a recognized risk factor in flying, if the problem is vasculitic and not thrombotic, then flying should pose no risks and no preventive measures should be taken.

However, if your girlfriend has had surgeries involving injection of a bubble to keep the retina flat, this will expand at high altitudes. If this is the case, the airline should know to organize a low altitude flight.

she has had surgery...it involved putting what i can only describe as a mechanical fix....she has had a plate and tube attached to the eye ball ...so there is a physical drainage tube to to allow drainage so the pressure does not build up....she has has also had various injections but i am not 100% sure of what exactly they are for...i think they are for the glaucoma which has resulted from the condition

Cabin pressure in most jets is around 7500-8000 feet when at cruise altitude and retinal hemorrhages etc can occur from altitude drops from as low as 9000 feet (link) so her weaker vessels sounds like they failing under depressurization. If she really has to fly I would check aircraft and their cabin pressures, Boeing 787 for example is said to have a cabin pressure of 6000 feet at altitude.

a reply to: glend

cheers glend...your link does not work for me....any idea how high a plane flighs that covers roughly 900km ?

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

Don't know, you will have to ask the airline the cabin pressure for the flight. I'd certainly ask a specialist eye doctor if aspirin would alleviate eye problems from depressurization.

Relevant part...

Retinal hemorrhages (small areas of bleeding in the retina at the back of the eye) may develop after ascent to altitudes of 9,000 feet (2,700 meters). These hemorrhages are common above 16,000 feet (5,000 meters). People usually have no symptoms unless the hemorrhage occurs in the part of the eye that is responsible for central vision (the macula). In such cases, people may notice a small blind spot. Retinal hemorrhages resolve rapidly without causing long-term problems.

a reply to: glend

interesting..........they have said that they believe that flying should not cause problems....looks like another conversation with the doctors is in order...

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

Yes keep pushing until you find someone that can give answers. If I was her, I wouldn't take any more chances, I'd stick to the ground but I have never liked flying anyway. Good luck and best wishes to your GF.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: glend

cheers glend...your link does not work for me....any idea how high a plane flighs that covers roughly 900km ?

That depends on type, model and airline policy.

On our B737-800's cruise altitude on a 900 km trip would typically be 39000-41000 ft with a cabin altitude on around 6500 - 7000 ft.

a reply to: glend

cheers man i appreciate that....and i will keep looking for answers ...it makes it particularly hard when the professionals do not have any definitive answers...hell they do not even know why her eyes are failing in the first place

originally posted by: Ivar_Karlsen

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: glend

cheers glend...your link does not work for me....any idea how high a plane flighs that covers roughly 900km ?

That depends on type, model and airline policy.

On our B737-800's cruise altitude on a 900 km trip would typically be 39000-41000 ft with a cabin altitude on around 6500 - 7000 ft.

thankyou