As a mother, I never imagined witnessing my daughter Lotte cry tears of blood during our family ski vacation. Shocked by this rare event called haemolacria, I share our experience, what caused it, and key facts to help others understand this alarming condition.
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During a short family ski trip at 1100 meters elevation, Lotte couldn't join the slopes due to her knee injury, so my husband Frank and I took turns staying with her. Having experienced my own knee ligament tear from a past skiing accident, I volunteered without hesitation.
Earlier that week, Lotte mentioned feeling blood trickle down her throat while dining out—no visible nosebleed. Later, she spat out a small blood clot in our apartment. Things quieted for two days until the incident: a massive nosebleed led to haemolacria, which we identified after urgent research.
Lotte rarely gets nosebleeds, but at high altitude, they're common—I experience them myself on ski trips. This one was severe and wouldn't stop. She leaned over the sink, pinching her nose with tissues as I replaced them. Suddenly, she panicked: "Mom, my eye is bleeding!"
Blood filled her left eye visibly rising. Shocked, I carried her (she uses crutches for her knee) with head upright to prevent drainage into her throat, which made her nauseous. In the elevator, more blood rose, and a bloody tear streamed down her cheek. She blinked frantically, vision obscured, heightening her panic.
What was happening? High blood pressure forcing blood through her eye? It looked terrifying.
At reception, Lotte fainted, collapsing into my arms. The French owner called a doctor while staff helped lay her on a couch. Her nose still bled, but the eye tearing stopped. Frank arrived soon after. The doctor advised firm nose pinching for 10 minutes after blowing, which finally stemmed the flow.
Back upstairs, she shivered in bed then vomited dark red fluid—blood mixed in her stomach. After resting, she improved. We consulted our home GP, confirming haemolacria: bloody tears from blocked nosebleed via the tear duct connected to the nasal cavity.
Bloody tears vary: often diluted pinkish red mixed with tears. Lotte's were vivid red from fresh nasal blood rerouted through the tear duct when pinched. I couldn't photograph the peak terror—a Halloween nightmare—but here's an image from the next day. Another case shows a girl with haemolacria five times daily, a distressing sight.
In Lotte's case, severe nosebleed at altitude caused it. Research shows other triggers: psychological factors (e.g., in some young females), or tumors. Doctors here and our GP weren't alarmed, favoring the anatomical explanation: open tear duct-nasal connection.
Worldwide, few haemolacria cases link to rare syndromes with bruising, bleeding from eyes, nose, ears, or nails. I avoid over-worrying, as Lotte recovered fully, appearing healthy. Doctors agree it's likely benign here.
