Can you burn your eye?

[laurenmk]

I had an itch on my eyelid, which without thinking I used my shirt to get rid of (too afraid of germs to use my fingers). Then I realized my shirt was dirty, so I got a paper towel, bunched it up, and ran it under the hot water. I used that to wipe off my eye several times. It was definitely really hot, but what's bothering me is that I can still feel the sensation of the hot 30 minutes later. Is it possible that I burned my eye?

[Fishmanpa]

Nope... Think of it this way. Have you ever burnt your tongue or mouth on hot food? Hurts like all mighty hell doesn't it? If you burnt your eye, you would be in some serious pain from the moment it happened. It's probably just irritated from rubbing it.

Positive thoughts

[laurenmk]

Yeah, my eye was closed when I did this, but I was just thinking how that skin is so thin/sensitive and I probably should not have used such hot water. That skin next to my eye just keeps feeling different than everything else.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Burns are painful, laurenmk. As FMP says, you would easily know. The only way I know of is if it was truly hot enough to kill the nerves so quickly before they could register pain and that is extremely quick...think of an explosion where it causes damage faster than the brain can register it. That is very quick. Outside of this, you are talking about feeling pain.

Hot water in your taps doesn't reach a burning temperature for very good reasons because it controlled by your boiler. It feels hot to you because it is hotter doby temperature but if it was do hot as to burn you would have been in pain. Just think of anyone who has been scolded and for that you are talking boiling water. The more sensitive the area that is applied to (in other words the more nerves there) then the more painful it will be and when it comes to pain, your eye is right up there with the most sensitive.

As FMP says, it could be because of the rubbing. It may also be, or as well be, because you applied water that was just a little hot and it's made ir swell a bit but it's not a burn. Rubbing it would have made it more sensitive anyway so the heat may have just added to that in making it feel worse.

Try not to worry, you will be fine, your body will heel and stop that area being quite so sensitive soon.