This is a little nasty. Hopefully there is nothing to worry about. I was skinning a fox last night. When I got to the eye's I must of hit something right above the eyeball. A stream of liquid shot out and hit me right in my eyeball. A lot of liquid !!! Enough to wet my side of the face. It was clear liquid not yellow or an old wound. It was from the eyeball its self? maybe pressure built up and when my knife tapped the eye it popped?
My eye is bothering me today, but I am not sure if it's because of all the cleaning and rubbing I did. Or I am just panicking and keep thinking abut it?
Has this ever happened to anyone else? Is there potentially worms or parasites I may need to worry about. The fox was dead for 24 hours.

parasites and rabies are both possible. i would see a dr and bring the skull with you. today.

Buy some broad-spectrum antibiotic eye drops (with Neomycin, Gentamycin, anything) for possible bacterial conjunctivitis and most likely you'll be fine


If the fox had tularemia or salmonella, you'll know soon, and other transmittable bacterial infections are not so common in foxes.

As for viruses, most fox viruses are not dangerous for humans, but here, foxes are the main vector of rabies and most people won't even touch them after shooting them, so any such exposure to a potentially infected body fluid would be a reason to rush to the hospital for emergency serum/vaccine shots...

Worms and other parasites are unlikely with this transmission route...

It has happened to me on various critters, usually ones that had been frozen. I didn't do anything afterwards and nothing happened to me but I was concerned.

Yeah I’ve seen that movie, make sure you keep your mouth closed, I wear glasses all the time now.

Hazmat suit.
You could potentially be exposed to a lot worse from dried skins than you would while skinning.

I had the same thing happened a few years ago. A red foxes eye fluid squirted into my eye. The only long-term effects were an increase in my night vision and whenever I see a mouse scurrying through the brush I want to pounce on it and eat it.

Go to the ER now!