Steven Lehrer1, Peter Rheinstein2. 1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, U.S.A.; steven.lehrer@mssm.edu. 2. Severn Health Solutions, Severna Park, MD, U.S.A.
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. Copyright
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. Copyright
Authors: Janice L Atkins; Jane A H Masoli; Joao Delgado; Luke C Pilling; Chia-Ling Kuo; George A Kuchel; David Melzer Journal: J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci Date: 2020-10-15 Impact factor: 6.053