A study from India suggested that people who wear glasses are up to three times less likely to be infected by coronavirus.
One way the virus can enter the body is through people who touch their eyes, nose or mouth after coming in contact with it.
However, researchers in India say people who wear glasses rub less over their eyes and therefore run less risk of contracting Covid-19.
In a non-peer-reviewed study published on the website medRxiv, the researchers studied 304 people (223 men and 81 women) in a hospital in North India for two weeks last week. The patients were between 10 and 80 years old and all reported Covid symptoms.
Of those, 19 percent said they wear glasses most of the time.
The researchers found that participants touched their face an average of 23 times per hour and their eyes an average of three times per hour.
They found that the risk of developing Covid-19 was two to three times lower among those wearing glasses.
“Touching and rubbing the eyes with infected hands can be a major route of infection,” the report said.
“Prolonged use of glasses can prevent the eyes from touching and rubbing repeatedly.”