"Don't mess with your eye, you can't get another one!"

This was the advice from KBW last night when I asked her whether or not it would be okay to put Vaseline on the corner of my eyelid since it was dry and hurting.  There were the reasons she cited for why it would be a bad idea:
1. it's a petroleum product (this worries her about many items regardless of whether or not I'm going to put them near my eye)
2. it's for external use only (although I know for a fact people put it on the inside of their noses)
3. it wasn't on a homepathic website as a solution
4. her eye doctor didn't recommend it - rather he said you should put warm compresses on your eyes in 5 minute intervals for 15 minutes
5. you don't want to mess with your eye, you can't get another one! (I must point out here that it does say on the jar of Vaseline that you can use it to remove eye make up)

So I tried the compresses -- after scalding my hand in the water -- KBW stressed that she said warm not hot water.  She asked if I felt better and I said that it hurt worse from pressing on my eyes and it makes all kinds of bright lights on your eyelids -- this freaked her out and she stressed that I was supposed to press gently and not try to get my eyes against the back of my head.

The result -- my eyelid is still dry and now it may very well be bruised from the compression.  KBW may be a PhD, but she's no eye doctor!

What do you think -- can you put Vaseline on the skin near your eye?