Kindly help !

[chetan]

Hello dear experts,

   This happened a month ago when I was travelling on a bus.
Suddenly the bus stopped abruptly and the glass window broke
with the glass pieces scattering all over, injuring and bleeding some
people in the process.

  One person was bleeding on the arm, through his waving hand, a big drop of blood landed on my left eye, after that my eye lids closed.

  It was just like a big rain drop falling on your eye just before the eye-lids closing.

  It never bothered me until a day later when I recalled that the person involved
stays next to my street and takes hiv treatment.

  Since then, I am worried a lot, the hiv science says that people
have been infected with hiv through blood splash in eyes 'in health care set up'
involving a lot of blood. here a lot of blood does not matter coz eye lids
must have closed after a splash. Which is what my  case is !

  I recall, it was a big drop of blood from a positive person falling onto my eyes.

  Will i get infected like this ?

  Please give your comments on this.

Thanks a lot,
Chetan

[Andy Velez]

I've never known of anyone to have become infected in the manner you are concerned about.

If you are going to worry about the matter there is a very simple solution. Get tested at 13 weeks. I am certain your test result will be negative. I am only suggesting that you do that simply for your peace of mind and not because you had any real risk.

Cheers.

[chetan]

Thanks Andy for your response.

 However the testing part puts me in a fix.

You know what, after that incident my life has taken a 360* turn.

Now I am very much concerned whatever minor thing gets into my eyes.
I believe it is the hiv virus.

I tried to convince myself that i will be fine, but no, i have to worry.

And I am carrying a bottle of water with me always, so that everytime
something i feel falls on my eyes, i wash with it.

And you know, I put water on my eyes like this 6 - 7 times a day
assuming the water will wash the hiv off my eyes !

This has put my life in a limbo, i fear going near people,
i avoid crowded place, i search for bleeding parts in people
so to convince me hiv blood was not there...


 Imagine !

Well, to tell to go for testing, doesn't help.
Then I have to go for testing every month !

 Please do not ask me to go to a therapist,
I can't afford that.

 Andy, Rapidrod, Ann, members please advise,
if hiv blood in eyes is a risk worth testing.

And carrying a bottle of water is a good idea...

And how I can come out of this gripping fear
and restlessness...

LIfe with hiv can't be worse than this !
PLease advise.

Thanks a lot....
~ Chetan

[Andy Velez]

Whoa, Chetan! You are really working yourself up over nothing. Stop with washing your eye right now. Doing that has nothing to do with preventing transmission.

Leave your eyes alone before you create a problem when you actually don't have one.
 
In any case you were not at risk. This is all about doubts and fears and has no basis on your part in HIV science.

I only suggested testing just to relieve your mind and not because I think you actually had a risk. You need to take a breath, let go of this unwarranted fear and get on with your life. Period. 

[chetan]

Thanks Andy....

 However, I need two clarifications :

1. In the healthcare set up, if direct blood hit can cause  hiv transmission, why not in the  day-to-day
world, when a drop of bood lands on eyes ? ok, in health care set up, blood amount is large, and in the later case, may be a few drops, but in both the cases, eye-lids are going to be closed after some time.

 So, what i mean is even though in health care set up , large amount of blood was involved, only a few drops will have gotten inside the eye ! Which is what may happen out side health care set up !

   This is why I think anyone can get infected, if a big drop of blood lands on eye,

2. Thinking of point 1, I always carry the bottle of water.

  In case, any foreign object lands on my eyes, so that I can wash afterwards. so that the water can wash the hiv off the eyes.
Weird it may sound but, isn;t it the right thing to do ?

 Don't you think, construction workers need to be specially aware of this kind of transmission ( construction where  injuries, bleeding ) are common and eye can get exposed to the hiv blood easily?

 Please advise.

Thanks a lot,
~ Chetan

 

[anniebc]

I think you are getting a bit carried away here, you need to slow down and stop stressing about this.

Research suggests that the risk of HIV infection in the way you are describing is extremely, extrememly rare, if anyone has been infected in this manner then it has been in the healthcare work place where a great deal of blood has been involved.

Let this go and get on with your life.

Jan