Views: 2 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2022-10-28 Origin: Site
COVID is mostly transmitted via the respiratory system—breathing in virus droplets through the nose or mouth—but the eyes are thought to be a potential entryway for the virus.
"It's not as frequent, but it can occur if everything lines up: you are exposed to the virus and it's on your hand, then you take your hand and touch your eye. It's difficult for this to happen, but it can happen," the eye doctor says. The surface of the eye is covered by a mucus membrane, called the conjunctiva, which technically can be susceptible to the virus.
When the virus enters via the eyes, it can cause inflammation of the mucus membrane, called conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis causes symptoms including redness, itchiness, a gritty feeling in the eye, and discharge. The irritation can also cause other eye diseases.
"Mask wearing is not going away," the doctor notes. "It may not be as urgent as it was and is still in some places, but it's not going to disappear, so we need to be aware of these issues now." Remote work is also here to stay. So, the best we can do is learn how to mitigate the effects of these lifestyle changes.
Here are a few ways to prevent and improve eye problem during the pandemic:
Use over-the-counter artificial tears or lubricating eye drops.
Find a mask that fits properly across the top of your nose and doesn't brush against your lower eyelids. The doctor also suggests putting a piece of medical tape across your nose to help fix the air leak issue.
Employ the 20-20-20 rule during screen time; that is, rest our eyes by taking a break every 20 minutes to look at something about 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Blink to make sure the tear film is properly distributed across the ocular surface.
Wear protective eyewear. Safety glasses and goggles are designed to protect your eyes during certain activities even you are not able to go outside, like playing sports, doing construction work, or doing home repairs. You can get tips and more introductions about the safety lens from https://www.universeoptical.com/ultravex-product/.
