Oral Contact and the Eye

[zootsuits]

Dear Doctor,

This is probably a more unusual post then I've seen on here but I'll go for it anyway.

In a nutshell: I gave a hitchhiker a lift yesterday. During the car ride whilst she was eating an apple some of the food splattered into my eye when she bit into it. She had pretty bad oral hygene [a gold tooth as I recall] so I'm worried that there could've been a transfer of blood or something via this route. Personally I've very good oral hygene and have myself seen some blood when I eat something with the rough texture of an apple.

I washed my eye out when I got home and rubbed out whatever had gotten in there - I didn't see any blood however viruses and bacteria are microscopic so I doubt this proves much. The small bit of research I've done online often says that its possible to transfer via the membrane/miniscule cuts in the eye. I know this peculiar scenario falls into the realm of 'casual contact' but to me the worry is real if, for example, blood from gums came into contact with my eye after only being exposed to the enviornment for a matter of seconds.

Would love your advice as to whether I should worry or whether I've just gone mad overthinking things !

Thank you

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Even with bleeding gums, this was a no risk event.  EWH

[zootsuits]

Thanks for your response Dr Hook.

So even if she did have bleeding gums, there would be little risk to this unpleasant occurance?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the Forum.  It is never a pleasant event to be splashed by another's oral secretions but there is no risk of HIV from the events you describe.  For starters, you don't know that this woman had HIV. The chance that she did, gold tooth or not is quite small.  HIV is not present in saliva and is not transferred from person to person in oral secretions.  There are NO instances in which HIV has been documented to be transferred from person to person even through oral sex.  

There is no reason at all for you to be concerned about HIV from this event. No need for testing.  I hope this helps.  EWH