CLEVELAND, Ohio — 40 million people across the United States wear contact lenses. But experts say we should stop for the time being and wear our glasses instead.

  • Glasses may help protect your eyes from coronavirus particles in the air
  • Contact lens wearers touch their eyes and face much more than people who don’t wear contacts
  • This is a time to be extra hygienic

Dr. Thomas Steinemann is an ophthalmologist with MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland and the American Academy of Opthalmology. He says contact lens wearers touch their eyes and face much more than people who don’t wear contacts. 

“And I'm not saying that I can categorically rule in or rule out contact lens wear for every single person, because obviously everybody's life is different, but it just makes sense to talk about some precautions,” said Steinemann. 

Steinemann says glasses may help protect your eyes from coronavirus particles in the air. 
 
“Where do those droplets go? They go on your face and yes they go on your eyes, and yes, they get stuck on your contact lenses,” he said. 
 
He also says this is a time to be extra hygienic. 
 
“This is not a time to cut corners. Go back to the old teaching that we learned when we were 12 years old and got our first pair of contacts. You wash your hands. You don't touch your face. You don't rub your eyes. You don't sleep in your contact lenses,” Steinemann said. 
 
It is more likely that you would be infected from your nose or mouth rather than your eye, but Steinemann says it’s a precaution to keep yourself healthy.

As they say— better safe than sorry.