A new study has shown that people who wear glasses are less likely to contract COVID-19.
The revelation comes after a study conducted by Virus Watch. More than 19,000 participants in England and Wales responded to a questionnaire regarding glasses and contact lenses. The study began around June 2020, with participants also reporting weekly on their COVID-19 status. More than 11,000 people shared monthly blood samples to prove whether or not they had been infected with the coronavirus. After taking several other risk factors into account, researchers concluded that survey takers who wore glasses had a 15% lower risk of infection than those who never wore glasses.
These statistics do not totally come as a surprise. In 2021, a study in India suggested that glass-wearers had extra protection because they did not touch their eyes as much as other people would. According to those findings, people who wear glasses for at least eight hours a day have a two to three times lower chance of infection. The analysis was completed in the northern district of Kanpur Dehat and involved 304 patients ranging in age from 10 to 80 years old.
While the data noted that COVID-19 infection through the eyes is “extremely rare,” it did reiterate that it is possible. Indian researchers called their findings “statistically significant” and advised people to avoid touching their eyes altogether. Medical staff in the region were also advised to wear safety goggles once the findings were published.
