I looked in the mirror last night and was horrified to see that my right eye was an alarming bright red colour and bloodshot in the area next to the iris. I panicked and checked my pupils matched etc, which they did. It was not sore or painful, itchy etc. and I didn't get anything in it or have any irritation.

This morning it's still a little pink but not like it was. My vision seems a little off but I might be imagining it. I keep putting my hand on my forehead as if to shield the sun so I can see better, but I'm inside. I've never had this happen before - is this something I should be concerned about? If my brain had suddenly started bleeding into my eye I would know about it, right?

I believe you're suffering from a subconjunctival hemorrhage, which is when a blood vessel in the eye burst. This can leave you bloodshot and with a bright red area on your eye. It's very common and can be caused from eye strain or high blood pressure. It's not dangerous and will go away in a few days. It's extremely rare that it's associated by a illness.

Thank you - big relief. I will make sure they check my BP next time I see a doc. I didn't want to look this eye thing up on the Internet because I knew it'd ping back all kinds of horrible diseases.