hiv from blood in eye

[chumachuma]

hello doctor,

i am a guy from hongkong and i had a very different type of exposure of blood into my eye.

actually i was in the lobby of a hotel and on the third floor of the hotel about 15 feet above me there was a fight and one of the guys started bleeding as i was in the stairs and saw up a drop of blood got on my face as well as eye also i was wearing contact lens when this happened so i went to the bathroom as rinsed my eye now not more than a blood would have gone in my eye.

if the person who bled was hiv positive what is my chance of getting hiv from this exposure.

daniel

[chumachuma]

Thanks sir

[Edward W Hook, MD]

As I said, no risk from what you described.  EWH

[chumachuma]

Thanks doctor,

But if we persume the person had hiv whose one drop of  blood got into my eye
Then Is there a risk sir?
This is my last question sir..

[Edward W Hook, MD]

There is no data on the effect on contact lenses in this situation.  It certainly would not increase risk and might, at least in theory, be protective.  

In the question you refer to, there was no question that semen got into the person's eye and that his partner had HIV.  You do not know that this person has HIV or that significant blood got into your eye.  My answer stands.  EWH

[chumachuma]

hello sir i was reading other forums and i came across one question answered by you
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/HIV-Prevention/semen-in-eye/show/437767?controller=posts&action=show&id=#

please explain me is my situation different than this situation?

[chumachuma]

hello sir and thanks for the response as i worry too much.

but i read somewhere that blood inside eye can lead to aids.
i hope i can move on with this exposure as i am sure the blood got into my eye even though it was just a drop as my doctor here says that i am at risk.

please answer these question sfor me sir...

1) i thought may be contact lens can stop it as it is a barrier for blood to enter eye? is it true?

2) so u mean there is no way that hiv can happen even  if hiv positive blood goes in eye?
a]thanks again

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to our Forum.  We receive at least one post a week of this sort.  Realistically, the chances that the person involved in the fight had HIV is very small.  Even if he did however, the eye has many of its own defense mechanisms including the blink reflex (it happens an you cannot stop it) and chemicals and enzymes include in tears which prevent HIV from causing infection of if there is a splash in the eye. Although there have been many, many of the sorts of exposures you describe, there has never been a case when someone got HIV from a splash in the eye.  I would not worry about it.  You do not even need testing related to this event. EWH