The eyes are a way of contagion of the coronavirus, so many people today ask themselves if they should avoid using contact lenses and, instead, put on glasses.
Use of contact lenses and coronaviruses
Best eye care hospitals in India are alert to any possibility of risk of contagion. For this reason, the ophthalmology sector has advised citizens to avoid, as far as possible, the use of contact lenses for glasses.
Experts of best eye care hospital in India pointed out that the virus (SRS-COV-2) can be isolated in the tear and conjunctiva and transmitted by it.
So, although there is no conclusion to date on the correlation between the handling of contact lenses and the spread of the coronavirus, it would be advisable to avoid its use in this exceptional situation of a pandemic.
According to reports of eye care hospital in Delhi NCR, the survival of the virus in silicone rubber for 5 days, a material from which some contact lenses are made, which may be a route of entry for Covid- 19 in your eyes.
What are the professionals’ recommendations?
These are the agreed indications that the ophthalmologists transfer to citizens:
- No type of contact lens will be adapted against any patient with local or general symptoms until resolution.
- It will be preferable that patients with fever type discomfort or dry cough, as well as local discomfort, stop wearing contact lenses.
- In the case of children wearing contact lenses, these will be removed except in cases where they are essential (aphakia, keratoconus, etc). In these cases, hygienic measures will be used as long as there are no symptoms of an ocular process that makes their use incompatible.
- Handwashing should be carried out before and after handling a contact lens, as indicated by Best eye care hospitals in India, to avoid contamination.
- As far as possible, use disposable and daily lenses as they are more hygienic since they do not require maintenance at night, which minimizes the risk of contagion.
- Take extreme hygiene measures with non-disposable contact lenses
Contact lens removal
- Cleaning with mechanical rub and the recommended cleaner.
- Rinse with sterile saline
- Disinfection by 3% hydrogen peroxide. For this one can use hydrogen peroxide systems for contact lenses of a single step, available to users and commercially distributed, but transforming them into two steps:
First step: delay neutralization for at least 6 hours of disinfecting action on the contact lens, which ensures a broad effect even against the coronavirus.
Second step: include in the bottle for the neutralization of the peroxide and let it act for at least an hour.
- Use the contact lens one hour after the neutralizing tablet.
- Rinse with saline before insertion of the lens into the ocular surface.
- Hand washing before taking the lens.
- Hand washing after insertion of the lenses.
Refractive defects and contact lenses
Contact lenses correct refractive defects such as myopia, hypermetropia and astigmatism, as well as presbyopia or tired eyesight.
If the patient wants to stop depending on contact lenses and glasses, the solution is exclusively surgical. It is what best eye care hospital specialists know as refractive surgery.
