Can you get a yeast infection if beer enters the eye?
NOV 29, 2021
Question:
I was reading a fantasy book and certain magical beings put beer in their eye. I argued to my fellow readers that real ale, as it has living yeast, could create a yeast infection in the eye, which might lead to irreparable damage. Obviously, this is not recommended, but is a yeast infection a possibility from putting ale in your eye?
Answer:
While there are much better eye washes than ale or beer, the small amount of each of these left in the eye after the first blink would be unlikely to do any harm and would not lead to a yeast infection. In fact, brewer’s yeast will not infect the healthy eye even if you put a pure culture on the surface as the conditions are not suitable for growth. Most “yeast infections” are caused by Candida species, which are not used in baking or brewing.