What is a hyphema?

Sometimes we use language that is very unique to ophthalmology. If we tell a patient, “you have a hyphema,” the appropriate response is almost certainly, “what is a hyphema?”

A hyphema is blood in the space between the cornea and the iris. The cornea is the very front of the eye, like the “windshield” of the eye. The iris is the colored part of the eye, which is behind the cornea. The space in between usually just has clear watery fluid in it, but it can have blood in it. This usually happens due to an injury to the eye. Thankfully, most of these clear out with time.