• Proper Hand Washing is Essential.
When using contact lenses or spectacles, careful and thorough hand washing with soap and water followed by hand drying with unused paper towels is paramount. For contact lens wearers, this should occur before every insertion and removal.
• Disinfect Contact Lenses.
Contact lens wearers should either dispose of their daily disposable lenses each evening, or regularly disinfect their monthly and two-week lenses according to manufacturer and eye care professional instructions.
• Disinfect Spectacles and Glasses.
Some viruses such as COVID-19 can remain on hard surfaces for hours to days, which can be transferred to spectacles wearers’ fingers and faces. This especially holds true for presbyopes (people generally over the age of 40). Most presbyopes require reading glasses and they may be putting them on and off their face multiple times a day. This age group appears to be among the more vulnerable population for developing COVID-19, as compared with contact lens wearers, who are typically younger.
• Discontinue Lens Wear Only if Sick.
Ceasing contact lens wear when sick is advised, consistent with guidance for other types of illness.
• Spectacles are Not Proven to Offer Protection.
There is no scientific evidence that wearing spectacles or glasses provide protection against COVID-19 or other viral transmissions.