You May Want To Ditch Your Contact Lenses Until The Pandemic Ends

If you wear contact lenses, then you better start switching to glasses.

The WHO and NHS in Britain say that people should avoid touching their faces, especially their noses and eyes. Those who wear contact lenses are more likely to touch their faces and it is therefore recommended to switch to glasses.

Dr. Sonal Tulsi, from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, said in an interview with ABC30 that “substituting glasses for lenses can decrease irritation and force you to pause before touching your eye.”

Eyeglasses can also protect you from droplets in the air that contain the virus although the protection is limited and you should observe the proper hygiene procedures at all times.

They also recommend that people who feel the need to fix their glasses every once in a while should do so with a tissue instead of their fingers.

However, those who continue to wear contact lenses are recommended by the American Academy of Ophthalmology to follow a set of guidelines in order to ensure that they don’t get infected:

1. Washing your hands with soap before wearing contacts.
2. Remove contacts before getting in contact with water.
3. Do not rinse your contacts in water.
4. Do not put your contacts in your mouth to wet them.
5. Do not use saline solution or resetting drops to disinfect them.
6. Rub the contacts with your fingers then rinse them in solution to clean them.
7. Keep the contacts case clean and replace it every 3 months.
8. Do not reuse old solutions.
9. Do not allow the tip of the solution to touch any surface.
10. Never wear your contacts for 30 or more days without disinfecting them first.

People with Coronavirus can possibly develop viral pink eye or conjunctivitis, however, the American Academy of Ophthalmology says it only occurs in about 1-3%. The virus can be spread through contact with discharge from an infected person’s eyes.

We have a dedicated coronavirus section where you can find the latest news/updates about the pandemic in Lebanon, inform yourself with WHO-verified resources, and track the number of cases in Lebanon in real-time. Click here.