The first reaction when your hands, after cutting chili, accidentally touch your eyes is "it's burning." We usually immediately rinse with water or apply a cold compress, but the eyes still feel hot and burning without relief. Why is that?
Actually, it's because we're using the wrong method. The reason for the "burning eyes" is mainly due to capsaicin in the chili, which is insoluble in water. However, it is soluble in ethanol and alkaline solutions. We can carefully wipe the eyelid skin with an alcohol cotton ball or soda water, making sure to keep our eyes closed and not letting it get into the eyes.