People who wear glasses may be up to three times less likely to be infected with the coronavirus, a study from India suggested.
One way in which the virus can enter the body is by people touching their eyes, nose or mouth after coming in contact with it.
However, researchers in India say people who wear glasses rub their eyes less and are therefore less at risk of contracting Covid-19.
In a non-peer-reviewed study published on the medRxiv website, the researchers studied 304 people (223 men and 81 women) at a hospital in northern India for two weeks last summer. The patients were between 10 and 80 years old and all reported symptoms of Covid.
Of these, 19 percent said they wore glasses most of the time.
The researchers found that the participants touched the face 23 times an hour on average and the eyes an average of three times an hour.
They found that the risk of contracting Covid-19 was two to three times lower among those who wear glasses.
“Touching and rubbing the eyes with contaminated hands can be a significant route of infection,” said the report.
“Long-term use of glasses can prevent repeated eye contact and rubbing.”