A recent JAMA Ophthalmology article by Lisa L. Maragakis, M.D., MPH, explores the relationship between eye protection and the risk of Covid-19 and a study of patients in Hubei Province, China, at the beginning of the pandemic.

In the study of 276 patients admitted to a hospital with laboratory-confirmed Covid-19, the proportion of the patients who reported routinely wearing eyeglasses more than 8 hours per day was lower than in the general population. The authors of the study concluded that wearing eyeglasses more than 8 hours per day may be protective against SARS-CoV-2 infection (the pathogen that causes Covid-19), and they hypothesize that this may be due to glasses acting as a barrier that reduces the frequency with which people touch their eyes.

“The study by Zeng et al is provocative and raises the possibility that use of eye protection by the general public might offer some degree of protection from COVID-19,” shares Dr. Maragakis. “More retrospective and prospective studies are needed to confirm the association that was observed in this study and to determine whether there is any incremental benefit to wearing eyeglasses or other forms of eye protection in public settings, in addition to wearing a mask and physical distancing, to reduce the risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2.”

For the full read: jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/2770873.