Wearing Glasses Instead of Contacts Can Help You Avoid Getting Sick From Coronavirus

Melissa Matthews

April 3, 2020 5:30 PM

It's time to give your eyes a break from contacts. Experts say switching to glasses can reduce your risk of spreading or contracting coronavirus .

Contacts Increase Your Chances of Getting COVID-19

People who wear contacts touch their eyes more often and could accidentally infect themselves with the virus, according to a statement by The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).

Coronavirus is mainly passed from person-to-person, meaning you would typically inhale droplets from a sick person's cough or sneeze through your nose or mouth. However, these droplets can get in your eye, according to AAO. COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, can be contracted from touching a contaminated object and then touching your eye.

"Substituting glasses for lenses can decrease irritation and force you to pause before touching your eye, says ophthalmologist Sonal Tuli, M.D. in the statement.

Experts suggest switching to contacts even if you have somehow managed to keep your hands away from your face.

That's because glasses shield your eyes from infected respiratory droplets. Be warned, they don't offer 100 percent protection, so you'll still want to maintain social distancing .

Carolyn Duong, OD and optometrist at the UCLA Stein Eye Institute offers a word of warning if you do switch to glasses.

"A study recently showed that the virus could live up to three days on plastic and stainless steelwhich are likely the same materials that some glasses are made of. Therefore, if you are opting to wear glasses, please clean them," she tells Men's Health.

If you hate glasses, or don't have a pair, Duong says the risk of developing COVID-19 through your eyes is fairly lowjust wash your hands thoroughly before inserting and removing lenses, she says.

Melissa Matthews