People who wear glasses are less likely to become infected with Covid-19

People who wear glasses are at up to three times less likely to be infected with the coronavirus, the Independent reported.

One of the ways the virus can enter the body is when people touch their eyes, nose or mouth after contact with it. However, glasses prevent a person from rubbing their eyes often, as a result of which the risk of infection is reduced.

The study included 304 people (223 men and 81 women) – patients in a hospital in northern India between the ages of 10 and 80, who were followed for two weeks last summer. Of these, 19 percent reported wearing glasses most of the time.

The researchers found that participants touched their faces up to 23 times an hour and their eyes an average of three times an hour. It turned out that the risk of infection with Kovid-19 was two to three times lower among the subjects who wore glasses.

“Touching and rubbing the eyes with dirty hands can be an important route of infection. Long-term use of glasses can prevent repeated touching and rubbing of the eyes,” the study authors wrote.

Doctors recommend that people who wear contact lenses switch to glasses to avoid potential transmission of the coronavirus from their hands to their eyes.