Is it possible that exposure to cleaning products five years ago caused permanent damage to my eyes?
OCT 25, 2012
Question:
Five years ago I washed the exterior of my house using a hand pump sprayer containing 26 cups of water, 4.5 cups of bleach and 1.5 cups of Jomax (a mildew remover.) and I did not use any eye protection. I did get some of the fine mist into my eyes and experienced discomfort and stinging which was temporary. After reading online I realized these chemicals can harm the eye so I saw an ophthalmologist weeks later who found nothing abnormal in his examination. However, I have worried about this over the years. Do you think it's possible that I've caused permanent damage to my eyes as a result of this incident? The only eye symptoms that I seem to notice over the last several years is more floaters and sometimes I think that my overall vision has a little bit of haze to it. I am 41 years old just to give you a reference where I am in the natural aging process.
Answer:
It is unlikely that the chemical exposure you had did any significant damage to your eyes. The floaters and hazy vision are likely unrelated.