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Possible to contract HIV through semen hitting the eye?
Good Morning Doctors - I have started seeing a man that I met a few weeks back at a club and he has told me that he has been tested for HIV. We have not had intercourse however I have gone down on him a few times. The last time I did, some of his semen hit me in the eye. My question is, if he were HIV positive - could I contract it through semen entering the eye?.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome back to the forum. However, based on your previous questions both here and on the STD forum, it seems you are overly concerned about low risk exposures. Here is all you need to know about avoiding HIV and other STDs: do not have unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex with new or unknown partners without using condoms; and do not share drug injection equipment with other people. That's it. If you follow that guideline, and no other, you can expect to never catch HIV or other STDs.
There are no data on the risk of HIV from semen exposure to the eyes. However, among the millions of people with HIV world wide, nobody has been known or suspected to have caught HIV from semen in the eye. I cannot say the risk is zero, but obviously it is extremely low. And you describe a partner who seems to give reliable evidence he doesn't have HIV anyway.
So you shouldn't be at all worred about this event. If this is your only potential exposure, you don't need to be tested.
Please note that in order to prevent domination of forums by anxious users, MedHelp permits a maximum of 2 questions every 6 months on each of the professionally moderated forums (see Terms and Conditions). This is your second on this forum in a month, so no more before next July. (A warning so you don't risk losing your non-refundable posting fee on a question that would be deleted without reply.)
HHH, MD
There are no data on the risk of HIV from semen exposure to the eyes. However, among the millions of people with HIV world wide, nobody has been known or suspected to have caught HIV from semen in the eye. I cannot say the risk is zero, but obviously it is extremely low. And you describe a partner who seems to give reliable evidence he doesn't have HIV anyway.
So you shouldn't be at all worred about this event. If this is your only potential exposure, you don't need to be tested.
Please note that in order to prevent domination of forums by anxious users, MedHelp permits a maximum of 2 questions every 6 months on each of the professionally moderated forums (see Terms and Conditions). This is your second on this forum in a month, so no more before next July. (A warning so you don't risk losing your non-refundable posting fee on a question that would be deleted without reply.)
HHH, MD
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Thanks for the thanks. Glad to have helped.
Dr. Hook's and my opinions and advice are virtually always identical -- and I agree entirely with his quoted comment.
Dr. Hook's and my opinions and advice are virtually always identical -- and I agree entirely with his quoted comment.
Hello Doctor Handsfield,
Thank you for your reply; you mention unprotected oral sex above. Dr. Hook had indicated in his answer to my first question, "Is there risk of contracting HIV after performing fellatio with a sore on inner lip" that the quoted figure for HIV risk, if one has oral an infected partner is less than 1 in 10,000 and, in his estimation that was too high. He also said that some experts state there is virtually no risk at all from oral sex and this includes all of the people who had oral sores, gum disease, etc. while performing fellatio. Is this your opinion as well?
Thank you also for advising me of the limit for posting questions; I was not aware of this and appreciate the "heads-up". Thank you!
Thank you for your reply; you mention unprotected oral sex above. Dr. Hook had indicated in his answer to my first question, "Is there risk of contracting HIV after performing fellatio with a sore on inner lip" that the quoted figure for HIV risk, if one has oral an infected partner is less than 1 in 10,000 and, in his estimation that was too high. He also said that some experts state there is virtually no risk at all from oral sex and this includes all of the people who had oral sores, gum disease, etc. while performing fellatio. Is this your opinion as well?
Thank you also for advising me of the limit for posting questions; I was not aware of this and appreciate the "heads-up". Thank you!
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