Do Eyeglasses Protect You from Coronavirus?
Updated On Apr 21, 2021
Coronavirus has grown to be a colossal menace for the entire world. The pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 1.25 million people and more than 50 million people have been affected by it. The pandemic has posed many questions as to why so many deaths happened? But these are the questions which need reflection after the pandemic has passed. The problems which demand immediate answers are the ones related to prevention and cure of the disease. The prominent question among those is, does any form of eyewear protect you from coronavirus?
Research has been supporting a positive answer to this question as a local hospital from China. Out of 276 patients admitted in that hospital, doctors found out that only 16 patients had been wearing eyeglasses on a daily basis. The study was done for 47 days. This study suggested that wearing any form of eyewear can reduce the risk of infection of Covid-19 considerably.
What is the Role of Eyes in Infection Transmission?
The entire body is covered with a thick protective layer of skin, and very few microbes have the capability of penetrating through the skin and infecting the body. The entry in the body becomes vital for infecting the body. The virus can hence gain access in the body through the orifices in the body or the thin membraned organs. The eyes are one of those thin membraned organs.
The thin layer favours the entry of light into our eyes, and unfortunately, this is also vulnerable to the entrance of microbes. The eyelashes are for this reason only as they protect the eye from the entry of such microbes, but when it comes to contact between the hand and the eyes, then the safety of eyelash is bypassed.
How Eyewear Plays a Role in Protection?
We do have to keep in mind that this is just an uncontrolled open study which suggested such a finding. The finding is based on a correlation. To confirm the conclusion, a controlled study is required, and hence, this suggestion should not be taken as a hard and fast medical rule for protection.
The eyewear prevents the person from touching the eyes by their hands. The general advice of washing hands for 20 seconds at least removes the virus from the hands and thus the chances of entry through the eyes is reduced drastically. The average rate of touching the eyes by a person not wearing eyewear is ten times per hour. This number is reduced when you wear glasses.
The second mode of transmission is through the viral droplets from a sneeze, cough, or exhaled air of an infected person. The mask protects the nose and the mouth, the glasses protect the eyes, and the virus can enter from there as well.
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Conclusion
Covid-19 is running amok in the absence of a treatment or a vaccine, and thus, in lack of any active protection or treatment, it is better that you pay heed to things grounded in logic and protect you from the virus. It is always good to get a health insurance cover for such times.
Disclaimer: This article is issued in general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.
