Mysterious condition causes girl to cry tears of blood

Mysterious condition causes girl to cry tears of blood

CHILE - 20-year-old Yaritza Oliva has a strange condition that causes her to bleed from her eyes, and so far nobody has been able to explain or much less cure her of her mysterious condition.

According to The Metro UK, the girl from the city of Purranque, Chile began crying tears of blood several times a day two weeks ago.

The local doctors she saw were baffled by her condition. They ruled out both eye infection and conjunctivitis and resorted to prescribing her eye drops to ease the pain she suffers when she weeps the red tears.

She described the pain as a "burning" sensation that is "indescribable".

While Oliva's tears of blood have not been officially diagnosed, she is believed to be suffering from a condition called haemolacria.

Haemolacria is a physical condition that causes a person to produce tears that are partially composed of blood. It can manifest as tears that are anything from merely red-tinged to appearing to be entirely made of blood.

Haemolacria is a symptom of a number of diseases, and some believe it to be indicative of a tumour in the lacrimal apparatus.

Others like Dr Alexander Lutz, interviewed by 24 Horas, a Chilean news agency, argue that her condition could be caused by blood clotting problems or the use of certain medications.

However, as Oliva's family does not have the financial ability to see a specialist, she has yet to receive a proper diagnosis. According to MedicalDaily.com, haemolacria is poorly studied and there is no known definite cause or effective treatment.

"Nobody knows what to give me, they don't know what I have. They don't know what to do," MedicalDaily.com quoted her as saying. According to online reports, she now holes herself up in her house as she is afraid of what others might think of her.

Through 24 Horas, the family pleaded for help to treat her condition, and now their prayers may finally be answered.

24 Horas reported that specialists from the Clinic Las Condes have agreed to analyse her case.

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