People who wear glasses may be up to three times less likely to contract the coronavirus, according to a new study in India.
The preliminary study suggests that glass users may have extra protection because they tend to touch their eyes less often than most people.
“Touching and rubbing the eyes with contaminated hands can be a significant route of infection” for COVID-19, the authors wrote in a report published on medRxiv, a website that compiles medical studies before being peer-reviewed.
The new study found that the risk of infection was two to three times lower among those who wear glasses for “long periods of time,” that is, at least eight hours a day, according to the report.
Indian researchers described the findings as “statistically significant”.
The study was conducted last summer in the Kanpur Dehat district. It involved 304 patients aged 10 to 80 years. They all experienced symptoms of coronavirus and about 60 were considered longtime glass users, according to the report.
The study authors noted that COVID-19 infection with the eyes “is extremely rare”, but they said that droplets of the virus can easily go from the eyes to the nose or mouth.
The best way to prevent this type of infection is to avoid touching the eyes. Doctors treating coronavirus patients should go even further and wear safety glasses for extra protection, according to the study.