Haemolacria or hemolacria is a physical condition that causes a person to produce tears that are partially composed of blood.

Description

Haemolacria can manifest as tears ranging from merely red-tinged to appearing to be entirely made of blood, and may also be indicative of a tumor in the lacrimal apparatus. It is most often provoked by local factors such as bacterial conjunctivitis, environmental damage or injuries. On rare occasions, a nosebleed may result in bloody tears if the shed blood is forced to flow up and through the nasolacrimal ducts. Acute haemolacria can occur in fertile women and seems to be induced by hormones, similarly to what happens in endometriosis.

Cases

In popular culture

French author the Marquis de Sade claimed to have "wept tears of blood" after he thought his novel The 120 Days of Sodom was thought to be lost in July 1789. However, the work was later recovered. It is unclear whether the Marquis actually suffered haemolacria, or whether he was using it as a figure of speech. Le Chiffre, the main antagonist of the 2006 film Casino Royale, suffers from haemolacria. On the television series Manifest, Dr. Saanvi Bahl suffered from hemolacria and erratic blood pressure in the season 3 episode Bogey. In the Afterbirth+ expansion of The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, haemolacria is an unlockable passive item that causes tears to burst into smaller tears upon hitting a wall, obstacle or enemy and turns tears into blood tears. Protein analysis of paper letters written by Vlad Dracula has revealed evidence suggesting haemolacria, consistent with stories from the last years of his life.