Also, glasses minimize risk of irritation from contact lens wear and serve as a barrier that forces you to pause before touching your eyes.Īlthough not that best protection, glasses can also serve as a partial shield from respiratory droplets. If you tend to touch or rub your eyes, it may be best to switch to glasses temporarily, given risk of transmission from rubbing without proper hand hygiene. However, contact lens wearers touch their eyes more often than the average person. With proper hygiene, there is no evidence that wearing contact lenses increases your risk of infection for COVID-19. Is it true that contact wearers have a higher risk of infection for COVID-19? If symptoms are persistent, you should contact your eye care provider. If your eyes become irritated or red, using over-the-counter artificial tears may help alleviate your symptoms. Therefore, routine cleaning or flushing of the eyes with water is not necessary and may actually strip away some of the ocular surface’s natural protective barriers, leading to increased risk of infection. The ocular surface has its own protective mechanisms, including antimicrobial proteins and natural lubrication. Can cleaning the eyes with water or over the counter eyedrops decrease the chance of infection? However, the virus can also live on surfaces up to a few days therefore, touching an infected surface, then touching your eyes, nose or mouth without washing your hands may lead to infection, but this risk is generally considered to be low. The mode of COVID-19 transmission is still believed to be primarily through respiratory droplets from person-to-person. ![]() Published reports suggest that SARS-CoV-2 can possibly be transmitted by aerosol contact with conjunctiva. Therefore, if infected droplets land in your eye, you are possibly susceptible to the infection. The surface of the eye and inner eyelids are also lined by mucous membrane called the conjunctiva. However, mucous membranes, which line many body cavities and organs including the respiratory tract, are most susceptible to the novel coronavirus and viruses in general. The evidence of ocular transmission has not been well studied. If COVID-19 droplets land in your eye, are you susceptible to infection? ![]() Annie Nguyen, Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology and Assistant Director of the Cornea & Refractive Surgery Fellowship at the USC Roski Eye Institute, answers frequently asked questions about whether our eyes are vulnerable to the novel coronavirus. However, more information has become available in the past 1.5 years regarding COVID-19’s effects on one of the most sensitive parts of our bodies: the eyes. Much continues to remain unknown about the constantly evolving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Interviewed by Eric Weintraub, Additional Expertise Contributions by Dr.
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