People who wear glasses are two to three times less likely to be infected with COVID-19, a new study has found.
Indian researchers studied 304 patients whose spectacle wearing habits were examined using a questionnaire and compared with existing studies of the general population, according to research published in medRxiv, which was not peer-reviewed.
“This present study showed that the risk of COVID was two to three times lower in the population that wears glasses than in the population that does not,” said Amit Kumar Saxena in the findings, reported the UK Mirror.
“The protective role of glasses was considered to be statistically significant if they were worn for (a) a long period of the day,” he added. “Touching and rubbing the eyes with contaminated hands can be a significant route of infection.”
The researchers said that people touch the face on average 23 times an hour and the eyes, on average, three times an hour.
“Touching the nose and mouth is significantly reduced with the proper use of a face mask. But wearing a face mask does not protect the eyes, ”said the study.
“The nasolacrimal duct may be a route of transmission of the virus from the conjunctival sac to the nasopharynx,” according to the study.
According to the authors, a total of 58 patients wore glasses continuously during the day and during outdoor activities.