Ready your readers: Glasses may help you survive the coronavirus.
Unlike face masks — most of which don’t work — glasses may actually be an effective barrier between your body and the deadly virus. That’s because coronavirus can spread through the eyes, experts tell The Post. Sunnies and everyday specs can act as a protective shield.
“For people [who] already wear glasses … it could give them a measure of protection,” Robyn Gershon, an epidemiology professor at New York University’s School of Global Public Health, tells The Post.
The virus is often passed through droplets from an infected person’s coughs or sneezes. These droplets can make their way into another person’s body through their nose, mouth or, in some cases, their eyes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With glasses, Gershon says, “large splatters or droplets cannot go directly in my eye.”
Gershon, who wears rimless frames when she rides the subway, says it’s common in health care settings to wear protective eye gear “when we have a risk of droplet exposure,” so why not now? She concedes that her everyday specs aren’t lab-grade, but they can’t hurt.
Dr. Jake Deutsch, a Manhattan-based physician who specializes in emergency medicine, agrees with the better-than-nothing measure.
“It makes sense that using any precaution that shields your face, including your eyes, would be beneficial,” he tells The Post via email.
He says glasses are “an easy and simple solution” to prevent exposure — but cautions that they should be used to complement “normal precautions like protecting your face and avoiding people who are sick.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, 36 New York City residents have tested positive for the über-contagious COVID-19 virus, and around the world the number has skyrocketed to more than 118,000. Mayor Bill de Blasio urged commuters to avoid crowded trains and to “walk or bike to work, if possible,” in a statement Sunday.
There’s another reason glasses might be a good idea: “It’s a barrier so you don’t touch your eyes,” says Gershon, who adds that “touching your face is the real risk.” In addition to glasses, the prof recommends sitting down on the bus or subway. “I’ve been trying to get a seat so I don’t have to handle the pole,” she says.
The MTA announced last week that it would wipe down “high-touch surfaces” like handrails, seats and poles with bleach and other disinfectants every 72 hours. Gershon has taken to a daily cleanse herself. She wipes down her eyeglasses with a disinfectant wipe when she gets home, plus other personal belongings that may have scraped against poles, doors and seats.
Also, if you’re a contact lens wearer, now may be the time to opt for glasses instead, Gershon says.
“We have no studies that people who wear glasses are less at risk,” but it’s one less opportunity for contact, she says. “Glasses don’t protect above and below [your eyes] — but it’s something.”
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