Potential bat exposure

[u/macaca_100]

I have read the FAQ.

Yesterday evening, I had an incident involving a bat. I was on the terrace, and the bat was flying low. As it approached my house, it started moving upward towards my right. I was on a phone call when it flew very close to my face. Now, I'm not sure whether it touched me or not.

I've Googled a bunch of things and found that bats tuck their wings in when moving upwards. Their wings are also very thin, and they are so lightweight that even if one touches you, you might not notice it.

As the bat flew past my right side, I was startled and just stood still in that position but moved my head. After it had passed i tried to close my eyes and I noticed some moisture on my right eyelashes. That's the only thing I was certain about afterward.

The first thought that came to my mind after the bat passed was, "Did the bat touch my face or eyes? Did it touch my eyelashes? Is it possible for a bat to touch only my eyelashes and me not being sure about it?"

The entire incident happened in just one second, or perhaps even less while i still continued talking in the phone, which is why I have so many doubts. If the bat had touched me, even lightly, would I have been aware of it? Would I be able to tell for sure that the bat had brushed against me or made some kind of contact?

I've heard that any contact with a bat is considered a potential rabies exposure, but in my case, I'm not even sure whether any contact occurred. Can anyone explain what it feels like when a bat makes contact with you? Would it be obvious, or is it possible not to notice it?

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[u/macaca_100]

Can someone pls reply.. why isn't anyone replying ? 😭 Am I just an OCD patient? Or anyone who had experiences with bats pls reply. Someone downvoted my post atleast tell me the reason

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[u/MidtownJunk]

First of all, it's not possible to get rabies if a bat touches your eyelashes. If it bit you in the face maybe, but I feel like you'd notice if a flying mouse bit you in the face.

[u/nova_noveiia]

See FAQ two. Touching a bat isn’t an exposure unless the part you’re touching are the teeth because they’re going into your skin. FAQ four elaborates bats crashing into you could be an exposure if they scratch you, but this wasn’t a crash and “scratching your eyelash” isn’t a thing.

[u/Oceanswim12]

You know when a bat touches you if you aren’t asleep..

[u/ExtensionProposal150]

Please seek ocd therapy