There are many ways you could catch Coronavirus. In a recent discovery, it was found that your eyes can catch Coronavirus even if you don’t touch them – just exposure to the air near a sick person would be enough.
While it has caused people to get alarmed, there are many ways you can protect yourself from this risk.
This is how your eyes catch the infection:
When sick people cough or sneeze, then the virus floats around with the water droplets that come out of their nose or mouth. These water droplets are tiny and they keep floating in the air for a long while, and can easily enter your system through your nose, mouth, and eyes.
Needless to say, touching your eyes after touching some infected person or object will definitely get you infected.
Here are some symptoms that show that you might have contracted Coronavirus through your eyes:
- Blurry vision or any kind of difficulty in seeing properly
- Pain or discomfort in your eyes, headache
- Redness in the eye
Here are things you can do to protect your eyes from catching Coronavirus:
#1. Be aware of the pink eye
35% of the infected people also develop pink eye/red eye/conjunctivitis. So their eye discharge contains a dangerous concentration of Coronavirus.
It’s not safe to be near people with red eye, so if you see someone like that then step away as fast as you can. Wash your hands and then rinse your eyes.
#2. Don’t wear contact lenses
People wearing contact lenses touch their eyes more often due to discomfort or to settle their lenses. This increases the risk of catching an infection.
#3. Start wearing glasses, all of you
It’s advisable to drop your contact lenses and wear glasses for a change. Even the people who are not prescribed to wear glasses can wear cosmetic eyeglasses or shades.
Wearing glasses will add one extra layer of protection and it will protect your eyes from most of the Coronaviruses floating in the air. But obviously, they won’t provide 100% protection.
If you are coming in contact with a sick person then it’s advisable to wear safety goggles.
#4. Don’t rub your eyes
It goes without saying that we shouldn’t touch our eyes. But most of us still do it out of habit without even realizing how many times we are doing it.
If you really need to rub your eyes or adjust your glasses, use a tissue. Or wash your hands before and after you touch your eyes.
#5. Practice safe hygiene and social distancing
The basic rules of hygiene that we all have known about since last many months.
You can read about all the safety guidelines here.
Featured Image Courtesy: OrthoNews