Can the Flu Enter the Body through the Eyes?

In light of recent events regarding the COVID-19 pandemic (as it is called by the World Health Organization or WHO), the main guideline that is being taught in the Philippines is to avoid touching your face especially your nose, mouth, and eyes. While it’s easy to understand that the virus can enter the upper respiratory system through the nose and eyes, why is it necessary to avoid the virus from getting to your eyes? Will an eyewear help you fight of the virus in the Philippines also?



According to the Department of Health (DOH) and as per WHO guidelines, the first line of defense against the virus is social distancing or staying away from other people and crowds. Second is to always sanitize through washing hands and using alcohol; the virus is encased in a membrane that is made mainly of fat and this membrane is dissolved by soap or alcohol which makes both methods effective in killing the virus. The last line of defense is to avoid touching your face especially if your hands have been on objects of common use like door knobs, handles, hand rails, counter tops, tables, and more.

[https://medictests.com/units/basic-airway-anatomy]

It’s no secret that, if the virus is already on your hands, it will infect you if it reaches your nose or mouth, but how about your eyes? The diagram above illustrates the respiratory tract. If you observe close enough, you will see it—the eyes are in the big space where air passes from the nose to the throat making it a viable entry point for the virus. In the Philippines, having an eyewear might seem like an added layer of protection. Since the virus travels in droplets, wearing eyewear in the Philippines may stop virus if for example someone sneezes at you.



Alternatively, wearing glasses and contact lenses might become a risk factor for unmindful individuals. A common habit among Filipinos is face touching. With glasses and facemask on, we might touch our face without knowing. This could happen after we’ve touch other objects, some of which might already be carrying the COVID-19 virus. Focus and mindfulness is key especially in disciplining ourselves to not touch our faces. For contact lenses users, they might scratch their eyes directly without thinking about it. Or adjust their contact lenses with dirty or even infected fingers.



So there; while eyewear can help protect you in the Philippines, it can also be a risk factor for those who do not pay mind to where their hands go. In line with the current community quarantine that is being implemented to the whole Luzon, the first line of defense, social distancing, is still the best way to evade the said virus.