Wearing glasses can do many things, from blocking UV rays to finishing off a Clark Kent-inspired Halloween costume (but also correcting your vision). But can wearing glasses also give you the power of a superhero to defend yourself against COVID-19?
Although experts recommend wearing face masks and adhering to social distancing to help prevent your exposure to the new coronavirus, protective glasses (such as eyeglasses) are not on the list of safety recommendations for the general public. But new research, published in September 2020 in JAMA Ophthalmology, seems to imply that sports glasses offer an extra layer of protection.
Can you get COVID-19 through the eyes?
Yes, the virus can infect you through the eyes. That is why it is important to wash your hands and avoid touching your face or rubbing your eyes when you are away from home.
Still, you are not likely to get infected this way. The coronavirus is believed to spread primarily through respiratory droplets (generated by an infected person sneezing, coughing, or talking) that make their way through the mucous membranes of the nose or mouth of other nearby people (within the two meters).
When is it a good idea to protect yourself with glasses?
Eye protection is part of the personal protective equipment used by clinicians in clinical settings: goggles or a face shield help protect the eyes from splashes, aerosols or respiratory droplets.
For people outside of healthcare settings who regularly come into close contact with others or whose jobs require frequent face-to-face interactions (such as restaurant employees, grocery stores, and public transportation workers), glasses can also be a good option to a mask.
But should we all wear protective goggles? The authors of the JAMA Ophthalmology study seem to think so. In a sample of 276 patients hospitalized with the coronavirus in China, the researchers found an association between the use of glasses and a lower rate of COVID-19 infection.
Researchers hypothesize that people may touch their eyes less frequently when wearing glasses and thus prevent hand-to-eye transmission of the virus.
But he cautions that these are only preliminary results and the correlation is unclear. More studies are needed to verify if there is an additional benefit to wearing eye protection, in addition to wearing a mask and practicing physical distancing, in public settings.
Masks offer the best protection
A well-fitting mask is still the best way to protect against the spread (or spread) of COVID-19.
Remember that the main mode of transmission of the coronavirus appears to be through infected respiratory droplets that enter through the nose or mouth. So your best offense and defense against the virus is to wear a mask, like a superhero.
