People who wear glasses may be up to three times less likely to get coronavirus, according to a new study done in India.
The preliminary study suggests that glass wearers may have the extra protection because they tend to touch their eyes less frequently than most people.
“Touching and rubbing the eyes with infected hands can be a major route of infection” for COVID-19, the authors write in a report published on medRxiv, a website that compiles medical studies before peer review.
The new study found that the risk of infection was two to three times lower among those who wear glasses for ‘long time’, which according to the report means at least eight hours a day.
Indian researchers described the findings as ‘statistically significant’.
The study was conducted last summer in the northern district of Kanpur Dehat. It involved 304 patients ranging in age from 10 to 80 years. All experienced coronavirus symptoms and according to the report, about 60 were considered long-term smooth carriers.
The authors of the study noted that COVID-19 infection through the eyes is ‘very rare’, but they said that drops of the virus can easily go from the eyes to the nose or mouth.
The best way to prevent this type of infection is to not touch the eyes. According to the study, medical workers treating coronavirus patients should go even further and wear safety goggles for extra protection.