Eye Protection and Its Role in Preventing the Spread of Covid
The transmission of Covid-19 is understandably a concern and a constant worry for many. We all know how to take actions such as social distancing and wearing masks - but is there anything else we could be doing to help stop the spread of this virus? Eye protection is an additional step to implement to help prevent the spread. In July of 2019, Dr. Fauci commented, “If you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it.” New information continues to develop throughout this pandemic, so the safety guidelines will most likely continue to change. Let’s look at how Covid-19 spreads and then understand why eye protection could be a useful tool in certain settings.
How Covid-19 Spreads
Jerry Zuckerman, M.D., who is the vice president of infection prevention and control at Hackensack Meridian Health, spoke on the primary way that the virus spreads. “The primary way COVID-19 is spread is by respiratory droplets through the air or by coming in contact with a contaminated surface and then touching the mucosal membranes in your nose and mouth.”
He went on to describe how the eyes can play a role in the spreading of a virus: “However, your eyes contain a similar mucosal lining that could also be an entry point for the virus.” At this point, there isn’t much research available that justifies the general public wearing eye goggles. Research that has been conducted on the effectiveness of eye goggles comes primarily from healthcare settings. Furthermore, the studies were more observational and weren’t randomized.
Who should wear Eye Goggles?
The CDC currently recommends that health care workers wear eye protection when they are in “areas with moderate to substantial community transmission.” The general public is not required to wear goggles and certainly shouldn’t wear them in the place of other PPE-such as masks.
How should you Properly Wear eye goggles?
For health care professionals -
The high-risk transmission environment of hospitals is all the more reason why healthcare workers should understand how to properly wear their PPE (eye goggles included).
Generally, eye goggles are a preventative measure to protect the eyes from splatter, sprays, and respiratory secretions. For the health care workers who wear disposable eye protection, you should always remove and immediately dispose of it. Healthcare workers who opt for reusable eye protection should ensure that their goggles are cleaned and disinfected everytime they are done helping a patient.
For the general public -
For those in the general public that decide to wear eye protection, it’s also important that you properly wear it. After each use, clean and disinfect your eye protection as well.
Lori Grooms, the director of Infection Prevention and Control for OSF HealthCare said,
“If you choose to wear eye protection it is important that it fits correctly, requiring little adjustment once it is put on,” Lori said. “It should also provide coverage to all sides – top, bottom and side to side.”
What are different kinds of eye goggles?
The first thing that comes to mind when you hear of eye protection is probably the standard goggles. This is one form of eye protection, but you could also use face shields or safety glasses. Keep in mind you aren’t required to do this, according to the CDC. If you do, however, make sure you wear eye protection such as a face shield, ideally find one that wraps around the sides of your face and also covers your chin. The CDC also suggests a hooded face shield.
Whether you work in the healthcare setting or not, you can always add further measures of protection from the virus that causes Covid-19. While eye goggles may help prevent the spread, the evidence is still being gathered to definitely prove it. One thing we do know is that a blended approach of various safety measures always works best.
If you’re looking for individual PPE or PPE in bulk, we offer both options! At Sandpiper Medical, we require all of our partners to go through an ultra-strict vetting process. This process includes meeting with every potential partner in person, taking facility tours of their location, and of course intensive background checks. Our Fraud Prevention process works - and it’s been proven by our track record. Our team also runs all of our products through third-party testing to provide you with that extra peace of mind. If you’d like to place an order with us, or just want to find out more about who we are, we’d love to connect with you!