How To Disinfect Glasses For COVID-19

We’ve all been warned not to touch our faces in order to protect ourselves from COVID-19. However, this advice can be quite tricky since the average person touches their face at least 20 times every hour. Perhaps you are not even aware you are doing it half the time. So, with this knowledge, what can you do to protect your eyes from the virus?

The novel coronavirus can live on hard surfaces for up to three days, but is very sensitive to all kinds of soaps which is why you must clean your glasses every day using water and mild soap. Here’s how you can disinfect your glasses from COVID-19: 

• Start by washing your hands with water and mild soap to remove oil and dirt.
• Rinse your glasses with lukewarm, tap water to keep any particles that may be on the lens surface from scratching them.
• Fill an empty spray bottle with 3/4 ethyl or rubbing alcohol, 1/4 water, and then a few drops of dishwashing soap.
• Apply the solution gently on the parts of the glasses that touch your face. This solution is best for lenses without anti-reflective or anti-glare coating as the alcohol can strip off this protective layer.
• For frames with coatings, add a drop of dish soap onto the surface of your lenses.
• Gently rub the lenses with your fingers, ensuring that you clean the nose pads as well as the edge where the lens meets the frame. A lot of dust and debris can easily get trapped in that little space. Clean the frame too, especially the arm piece that goes behind your ear.
• Rinse, then dry by shaking off excess water and wipe it with a clean microfiber cloth. Do not use tissue or paper towels as these can scratch your lenses.

-Wear glasses instead of contacts. Glasses can shield your eyes from infected respiratory droplets. Although this will not protect you 100 percent, it can provide some defense. Wearing your glasses can also help lessen eye-rubbing, which is common in people wearing contacts.

-Do not blow on your lenses to clean them. Avoid breathing on your glasses to clean them as you don’t want to put any germs on the surfaces by steaming it up, especially now with the pandemic.

-Avoid putting the frames in your mouth. It is rather common to see people place the end of the earpiece in their mouths, but this habit should stop since your frames can be filled with microbes, potentially leading to infection.

-Avoid rubbing your eyes. Since the virus can bind to the receptors found on the surface of your eyes, avoid rubbing your eyes to keep the virus from entering your body.

-Keep plenty of eye care supplies. Make sure that you stock up on essential vision health supplies and medicines. This preparation is crucial in the event of limited availability or lock-down.

Do you have questions on the best way to handle your glasses? Visit Lakeside Eye Associates today in Huntersville, North Carolina. Call us at (704) 457-7300 for more information.