Do you rub your eyes often?

Do you rub your eyes often? Eye care is essential too in this pandemic

Gerald Dizon – Philstar.com
November 20, 2022 | 4:00pm

MANILA, Philippines — Going through the pandemic for as long as we have, many are now adequately familiar—if not hyperaware—of the dangers of crowded and poorly ventilated spaces.

If we’re looking at the science, we can argue whether it is the droplets or the aerosols that are a more significant transmission route for the novel coronavirus. Whichever side of the coin we pick, both are still proven modes of infection.

Given these, practices such as handwashing and avoiding contact with mucous membranes—in our mouth, nose and eyes—are of even more importance.

Masking, especially with surgical or better quality ones like KN95 or N95, is still strictly mandated in the majority of nations worldwide, effectively shielding the mouth and nose from viral entry. But what about our eyes?

Overlooked concern

According to ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist Dr. Maika Malgapu-Uy, rubbing your eyes can put you at risk of contracting COVID-19.

Photo by rawpixel / Freepik.com

While COVID-19 infections from the eyes are reportedly a small possibility, especially in non-healthcare settings or low-risk situations, it is certainly possible. All it takes are the little slip-ups—forgetting your precautions and rubbing your itchy eyes with contaminated hands. 

More than the threat of COVID-19, your hands can still pretty much expose your eyes to other and more common microbial infections.

“Rubbing our eyes puts us at risk of contracting COVID-19,” said top ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist Dr. Maika Malgapu-Uy.

“There’s an oddly satisfying feeling when we rub our eyes to relieve itchiness, but it’s a very dangerous habit. We really have to be careful,” she added.

So what can be done to address itchy or irritated eyes? Malgapu-Uy advises eye drops for irrigation to wash away the irritant, instead of introducing more irritants into the eye through rubbing.

“Touching or rubbing eyes must be avoided, even your eyes are itchy due to dust or minor irritants, it’s better to use eye drops to cleanse your eyes,” she said.