Boy Cries Tears of Blood

ABC

By Vicki Salemi

Calvino Inman, a fifteen-year-old boy from Rockwood, TN, sheds tears like the rest of us, the difference is that he cries blood. The teenager suffers from a medical condition that causes drops of blood to secrete from his eyelids several times a day. During the episodes, which can last a few minutes to up to an hour, Calvino is often in pain. The boy’s mother, Tammy Mynatt, who has taken her son to countless specialists, says, “The scariest thing in my life was when he looked at me and said ‘Mama am I going to die?’ That right there broke my heart.”

The cause is still puzzling, even to trained specialists. We talked to some doctors to unearth the possible cause of Calvino's condition. Many had theories, but, as of yet, there is no known remedy. “It’s very mysterious since it’s occurring in both eyes three times a day,” notes Larry Lampert, M.D. a developmental/behavioral optometrist from Boca Raton, FL. Since tears are produced from three different places, his first recommendation is for Calvino to have a day-long doctor’s visit in order to find out where the tears are coming from. “My advice would be to sit in a doctor’s office all day long to actually see what’s happening on the onset.”

According to experts, there are a variety of reasons that could be causing the boy to cry crimson. B. Bruce Myers, M.D., FACS, Board Certified in Oculoplastic Surgery and Ophthalmology in Boca Raton, FL, says if the boy has any type of bleeding disorder and already had fragile blood vessels in the lining of his lids, it could cause him to bleed into the tear film. “Also, if the boy had a growth or malignancy in the area around the eyeball, this could lead to bleeding which would manifest as bloody tears. It could also have been caused by severe inflammation or trauma." Myers adds that there are certain types of hemorrhagic conjunctivitis which could be responsible for blood getting into the tear film. In order to determine the cause, Myers suggests that doctors conduct a slit lamp evaluation (studying the eye with a microscope) and a bleeding profile.

Is there a cure for any of these possible causes? Yes, but the treatment would be dependent upon what the evaluation discovers. “For example, if it is determined to be hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, it would require antibiotic eye drops,” says Dr. Myers. “If it was caused by a bleeding disorder or a growth or malignancy, they would need to correct the underlying disorder.” If the tears of blood are a result of severe inflammation or trauma, doctors could either allow it to heal with time or treat the underlying inflammation.

Above all, Calvino and his mother hope to find a prognosis and treatment soon so he may no longer be known as the boy who cries blood. “More than anything I just truly want somebody to say 'I’ve seen this, I can help this family, I’ll do whatever I have to do.' I just please want somebody to help my baby,” Mynatt told ABC News.

Luckily, a doctor has reached out to the family, CNN reports. Dr. James C. Flemming, an ophthalmologist at the University of Tennessee's Hamilton Eye Institute, has been in touch with Mynatt and her son and is reviewing Calvino's medical records for possible treatment.

While the possibility remains that even after Flemming and his team have conducted all the necessary tests the underlying cause may never be uncovered, the newfound support seems to be offering some relief to Calvino and his mother's suffering. Mynatt said in an interview with CNN affiliate WATE, "We get more positive talk now than negative. It really feels like there's hope."

Watch the video below to see Calvino and his mother share their story.