Hi everyone. I have recently been diagnosed with OCD regarding germs and contamination. One of my compulsions is to disinfect my face when I accidentally touch it, because I'm worried germs might get into my system through my mouth, eyes, and nose.
For about a month I was using hand sanitiser (that contained alcohol) to disinfect the skin on my face. It was way too harsh to use anywhere other than my hands, and I knew that, but I couldn't stop myself. I ended up getting dry, flaky skin, and my lips swelled up and got chemical burns on them.
However, the worst of it was my eyes. I never put the sanitiser in my eyes but I did put it on the skin around my eyes. Around the same time I started using the sanitiser on my face, my eyes began to burn and get extremely watery at seemingly random times. The burning was so bad that I couldn't open my eyes the whole time this way happening (it usually lasted about 5 to 10 minutes). Afterwards, there was always a whiteish discharge in the corners of my eyes that I think is what irritates them, but I could never just wipe it out because I can't put anything in my eyes unless it has been sterilised first.
I haven't had hand sanitiser in about two weeks now, because I've replaced it with an alcohol-free sanitised water spray that is intended for babies. However, my eyes are still extremely irritated. They burn around twice a day, once as soon as I wake up without fail, and once again at some point in the evening. It's extremely painful and it is starting to last longer; it can now last about 20 minutes at a time when I first wake up. The white discharge is still present afterwards. It also makes my nose run a lot and my eyes bloodshot, as if it is an allergic reaction, but I cannot imagine that that is the case because I don't have allergies and I stopped using the harsh chemicals near my eyes around two weeks ago. It could be that I no longer wash my eyes out on a morning like I used to because I'm worried about putting my fingers near them.
Has anyone else ever had a similar experience? Should I challenge myself to start cleaning my eyes out more often? Should I go see a doctor? Going to the GP is a challenge for me but I am worried that I have permanently damaged my eyes. Thanks in advance for your help!