Wearing glasses, facial hair: Do these increase the risk of COVID-19 infection?
When it comes to the fight against coronavirus, experts couldn't stress the importance of not touching your face plenty.
Merely for those wearing glasses or if yous're a guy with a notable amount of facial hair, information technology might be easier said than washed.
First upward: Wearing spectacles. Do you have to switch to contact lenses to avoid regularly pushing these up your sweaty nose?
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On the contrary, experts such as Dr Daniel Ting from the Singapore National Centre Heart are encouraging people to stick to spectacles to minimise hand-to-center contact. "Several scientific studies suggest that the virus can exist possibly transmitted by contact with the surface of the eye," said the consultant with the Surgical Retina Department.
If you wear contact lenses, the chances of yous touching your optics are actually college than not-contact lens wearers, said the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). "Substituting spectacles for lenses tin can decrease irritation and force you to pause before touching your eye," said Dr Sonal Tuli from the AAO.
Dr Ting added: "Information technology is a great opportunity to requite the optics a rest when the digital screen fourth dimension volition significantly increase during this outbreak catamenia".
Notwithstanding, there's no need to run out and get glasses or sunnies just for the excursion breaker menses, said Dr Ting. It is far more than constructive to article of clothing a mask and practice rubber distancing, he said.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR Glasses AND CONTACT LENSES CORONAVIRUS-FREE
Other than the usual wipe-down with a lint-free fabric (you lot are using that, aren't y'all?) to keep the lenses in your glasses grease-free, Dr Ting likewise recommended disinfecting the entire eyewear regularly with disinfectants containing at to the lowest degree 70 per cent alcohol or diluted household bleach (5 tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water). "Alternatively, yous could utilise the commercially available disinfecting wipes or professional disinfectant spray," he said.
When it comes to contact lenses, "it is not necessary to further disinfect these, apart from practising skillful contact lens hygiene", said Dr Ting. That means washing the lenses with commercially available cleaning solutions, and avoid sharing the lenses, the case or cleaning solutions with other family members or friends.
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"Cleaning the contact lens case with lather and water is a good thought. Just replacing the case regularly, or wearing daily dispensable lenses are even meliorate choices," added Dr Ting.
Can MEN SKIP SHAVING?
Finally, there's facial hair. While it is convenient for many men to forgo shaving during the circuit-billow menses (you're not meeting anyone anyway, right?), hither's why you lot may want to be clean shaven. According to the Centers for Affliction Control and Prevention (CDC), facial hair tin interfere with the seal of your N95 mask.
The same preventative measure is echoed past the UK'due south Health and Safety Executive, which noted on its website that "if at that place are any gaps around the edges of the mask, 'dirty' air will pass through these gaps and into your lungs".
Information technology was prophetic of the CDC to create the chart below dorsum in 2017. You have to acknowledge, it is a rather entertaining summary of facial hair styles simply more pertinent to the current state of affairs is how the different styles tin can work confronting the employ of masks.
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Basically, if your facial pilus tin can be contained inside the mask – that includes various styles of moustaches – you're pretty much in the clear. Only the same can't be said of stubble, beards and Tony Stark's goatee.
So, does that mean regular men can't skip shaving at all? If y'all're donning the reusable or surgical masks to brand craven rice runs, that's not an issue because these masks don't require a tight seal to work.
Besides, having a bristles or facial hair does not "trap" the virus closer to your confront, said Houston-based lath certified dermatologist Dr Monee Thomas on ABC News. "The beard shares much of the same flora as facial skin. Therefore, near of the same precautions we take with our face to continue it clean and healthy should besides use to the beard," she said.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/wellness/glasses-contact-lens-facial-hair-beard-coronavirus-194626
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