When it comes to sex, there’s a lot of risk involved. You could get pregnant. You could catch an STI. You could get your heart broken. That’s why people take their time to get to know someone, why we wear condoms, and why some people might prefer to have a fling finish on their face.
Anyone who’s ever had semen get in their eye will tell you that it burns, but could it be more dangerous than people let on? For example, could a partner infect you with an STI if semen hits your eye?
Here’s The Scary News
STIs all have their own modes of transmission, with most of them requiring sexual fluids to be exchanged in order to have an infection occur. This means that most sexually transmitted diseases probably won’t end up transmitting if sperm hits your eye.
However, there are three that have plausible a possibility of causing an infection this way: gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia. Both diseases are considered to be very easy to spread, and as long as your membranes hit live cultures, there’s a chance of transmission.
Gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia are treatable, though there are antibiotic-resistant strains in circulation. A more worrisome STI to watch for is HIV. That’s right – in very rare cases, HIV has been transmitted through semen to the eye.
Can STI Infection Cause Blindness?
Absolutely. Syphilis has long been known to cause blindness in sufferers. In many cases, STI exposure can also cause a stye, which can make it difficult to see clearly and cause ocular pain.
Herpes can be transmitted to a person’s eye during an outbreak, too. Doctors even have a name for it: ocular herpes. If you catch ocular herpes, you can have outbreaks that affect your eyes, which in turn, cause serious retinal damage that leads to blindness and facial scarring.
The More Likely Outcome
Though it is possible to get an STI from having semen get in your eye, it’s not very likely. Most studies put the risk at very low to negligible for most STIs. If you’re concerned about HIV transmission, taking PEP can help prevent infection.
A more likely outcome would be getting conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye.You might have had it from another source before. If you haven’t, it’s usually known for causing redness, itching, discharge, as well as light sensitivity.
Though it’s rare to have pink eye caused by STI-related bacteria, it’s still possible. Pink eye can be caused by a wide range of different bacterial cultures, and is easily treated with the right medication. In most cases, it will not be an issue.
What To Do If You Got Semen In Your Eye
So, you got some cum in your eye. You don’t know if you were exposed to something. Let’s talk about a step-by-step guide to minimize damage:
- Flush your eye out. The first thing you need to do is flush out your eye with water. Even if you didn’t get an STD, this will help with the stinging and burning sensation. You can expect it to go away in 24 hours.
- Don’t try to rub your eyes. Sometimes, eye rubbing can help get rid of stuff stuck in your eye. This is not one of those times. If anything, it’ll actually worsen the burning you feel.
- Ask if your partner has anything. If he knows and didn’t tell you until now, this could be a criminal issue. If he hasn’t been tested lately, you may need to get tested.
- Get PEP. Post-exposure prophylaxis is the only proven method to prevent HIV transmission after exposure. If HIV was possibly transmitted, getting PEP is a good idea. This is something you should do immediately, as PEP is only useful in the first 72 hours of exposure.
- In three months, get tested for STIs and mention the transmission method to your doctor. Your doctor may choose to put eyedrops in your eye to get a better look at your ocular health. Aside from that, STI testing should be fairly standard.
- Alert your sexual partner if you contracted an STI from your fling, and tell any other sexual partners you have of the infection. Your sex partners need to know if they are at risk of infection or if they are infected. Otherwise, they may continue to spread the disease to others. Moreover, many states make this a legal obligation, so you might face jail time if you don’t tell them.
- Follow medical instructions from your doctor if you contracted a disease. This is the only way to ensure that you get healthier and prevent retinal damage.
Practice Safe Sex!
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Even if a facial isn’t very likely to transmit an STI, it’s still a possibility. You need to prevent it from happening, and that’s best done by making sure to avoid having unprotected sex (or oral sex) with partners who are positive.
Safe sex is all about communication and knowing how to prevent transmission. If you aren’t sure whether your partner is positive for anything, ask them to get tested with you. Oh and if you’re still going to hit it with someone who is positive? Maybe avoid the eye area as the finish zone.
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