A new study has found that people who wear glasses are two to three times less likely to become infected with COVID-19.
Indian researchers studied 304 patients whose glasses wear habits were examined using a questionnaire and compared with existing studies on the general population, according to research published in medRxiv, which is not peer-reviewed.
“This present study showed that the risk of COVID was two to three times lower in the population who wore glasses than the population who did not wear glasses,” Amit Kumar Saxena said in the findings, Mirror UK reported.
“The protective role of the glasses was found to be statistically significant, if worn for a long period of the day,” he added. “Touching and rubbing your eyes with contaminated hands can be a major route of infection.”
The researchers said people touch their face an average of 23 times an hour and their eyes an average of three times an hour.
“Touching your nose and mouth is significantly reduced when you wear a mask properly. But wearing a face mask does not protect the eyes, ”the study said.
“The nasolacrimal duct can 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.