How to practice good eye hygiene in the coronavirus era
The proliferation of coronavirus has coincided with spring allergy season in most parts of Texas.
This means that red eyes caused by conjunctivitis, a littleknown symptom of COVID-19, could really just be “allergicreaction-to-pollen eyes.”
“Some people get concerned that they have conjunctivitis and figure out it’s just eye allergies, which are red, watery, itchy eyes that is usually paired with a runny nose and sneezing,” said Dr. Amir Mohsenin, ophthalmologist affiliated with Memorial Hermann and assistant professor for ophthalmology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth. “If it’s itchy, that is usually allergies. Also, you typically know that you have these symptoms on a recurring basis.”
If you have red allergy eyes, use artificial tears or anti-allergy eye drops rather than rednessrelief drops. After a temporary reprieve, redness-relief drops can make the symptoms worse, he added.
Allergies aside, how concerned should we be about eye protection during the coronavirus pandemic? And what about contact lenses?
The best thing you can do is wear glasses if you have them, Mohsenin said. By wearing glasses, you won’t have to touch your eye with your finger. Glasses also act as a shield for your eyes against airborne virus particles.
If you do have to wear contact lenses, make sure your hands are washed, dried and the contacts have been cleansed by fresh contact solution. For extra protection, Mohsenin recommends a pair of clear safety glasses.
There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 transmission by handling of contact lenses, according to David Chu, assistant professor of ophthalmology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
“However, since contact lenses can cause eye irritation, wearers tend to touch their face or to rub their eyes more often, which puts them at a higher risk for acquiring infection,” Chu said. “When handling contact lenses, users must practice strict hygiene.”
If you get conjunctivitis (coronavirus-related or not), you should stop wearing contact lenses. The lens may not fit properly and can cut the cornea or cause a bacterial cornea infection, which could worsen your eyesight long term, Chu said.
So far, researchers have found the greatest risk of COVID-19 transmission is through inhaling respiratory droplets sprayed via a cough or sneeze from an infected person. Eyes have mucosal surfaces, which means theoretically people can get infected through their eyes, Mohsenin said. Some patients have shown signs of a mild conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye.
“Scientists have found virus particles in a patient’s tears and the patient did have COVID-19 and conjunctivitis,” he said. “Another study looked at patients who didn’t have virus particles in their tears, but it was fully in their noses and mouths.”
Conjunctivitis is a contagious infection that causes the eye to become inflamed, red and crusty.
The risk of COVID-19 transmission through tears of a patient with conjunctivitis is low, Mohsenin said. Only 1 to 3 percent of coronavirus patients get conjunctivitis, he added. But the more severe the infection, the more likely the person will have pink eye.
Mohsenin said red eyes are not a common presentation of the virus, and people are much more likely to have fever, cough and shortness of breath. With more widespread testing, doctors and researchers have the opportunity to see what symptoms are most common and how asymptomatic people factor into the community spread of the virus.