Does wearing glasses protect you from the coronavirus?

When researchers in China were analysing Covid-19 patient data, they noticed an odd trend: Very few of the sick patients wore glasses, a disproportionately low number given the rate of nearsightedness. They wondered: Could wearing glasses protect a person from becoming infected with coronavirus?

Experts say it’s too soon to draw such conclusions or recommend that people start wearing eye protection in addition to masks in hopes of lowering their risk for infection.

Dr Lisa Maragakis, associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, US, said any number of factors could explain the data. For example, it could be that people who wear glasses tend to be older, more careful and more likely to stay home.

It could be that eyeglasses act as a partial barrier, protecting eyes from the splatter of a cough or sneeze. Or, it could just be that people who wear glasses are less likely to rub their eyes.

"It does have some plausibility, given that in health care facilities, we use eye protection. But what remains to be seen is whether it would add any protection over and above masks and physical distancing," Maragakis said.