Man Cries Tears of Blood: Could it be Rare Medical Condition Haemolacria?

Scientists are currently plagued by a medical mystery. A young Tennessee man allegedly cries tears of blood without warning.

According to NBC News, Michael Spann, 22, was walking down the stairs of his home in Antioch, Tenn., when an incredible headache hit him as he realized that blood began to pour out of his eyes. "I felt like I got hit in the head with a sledgehammer," he said, according to the Tennessean. Spann said that blood was also coming out of his nose and mouth.

As the bleedings became a daily occurrence for the young man over the span of seven years, he says they now only happen just once or twice a week. Yet due to his lack of health insurance, doctors in the area were unable to recommend him for good treatment, according to various reports.

Bleeding from the eyes, though rare, is often due to a condition known as haemolacria.

Recently in the news, 20-year-old Yaritza Oiva of Purranque Chile suffered the same painful condition that caused tears partially composed of blood to seep through her eye tissue.

As health officials note that this could possibly be due to signs of a more serious illness involving cancerous lesions or possibly something smaller, such as high hormone levels, many who live with such a condition are forced into a reclusive life.

"Any job I get, I lose, because my eyes start bleeding and they can't keep me on," Spann said, via LiveScience. "Obviously, I can't be a waiter and work in any public thing because you are bleeding." 

He is also ridiculed by those who live in the community. "I have kids that ride by on bikes in this neighborhood who point and say, 'That's the guy who bleeds.'"

Hopefully, Spann and others suffering from the same condition get the help they need.