| Title: | Eyeglasses Reduce Risk of COVID-19 Infection |
| Journal: | In Vivo |
| Published: | 28 Apr 2021 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33910839/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.21873/invivo.12414 |
| URL: | https://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/invivo/35/3/1581.full.pdf |
Publication 4844
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Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM: A study of patients in the Hubei Province, China, at the beginning of the pandemic demonstrated that among a group of 276 patients admitted to a hospital with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, the proportion of patients who said they routinely wore eyeglasses more than 8 hours per day was lower than in the general population. Therefore, wearing eyeglasses more than 8 hours per day may be protective against SARS-CoV-2 infection, possibly because eyeglasses are a barrier that reduces the frequency with which people touch their eyes. The aim of the study was to determine if eyeglasses protect from COVID-19 infection.MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used UK Biobank (UKB) data to corroborate findings of the Hubei study in the UK population.
RESULTS: Eyewear was associated with a reduced risk of infection, odds ratio (OR)=0.77. The effects of sex, age, and eyewear were independent and significant at the 95% level. Men are 1.24-times more likely to be infected than women; subjects' risk of infection is less (0.95) for every year of age.
CONCLUSION: The public at large may profit from wearing glasses, as well as wearing face masks and practicing social distancing.
2 Authors
- Steven Lehrer
- Peter Rheinstein
Enabling scientific discoveries that improve human health