The New Brunswick Medical Society encourages doctors to wear glasses when in contact with patients in the hospital to protect against COVID-19 infection, but experts say there is not enough evidence to address the need for the general public to not to follow it, to support it.
In an interview on January 12 with Global News about PPE carrying doctors in hospitals, Dr. Mark MacMillan, president of the New Brunswick Medical Society, said tight-fitting glasses are recommended to doctors and other healthcare professionals when they come in contact with patients.
“We recommend wearing glasses, which fit nicely. Not glasses like mine that are open, but a tighter fit along the side, because we know that some, a lot of transmission, actually also takes place through the mucous membranes of the eye, ”says MacMillan.
“So, we also recommend wearing glasses for all doctors and other related health professionals who are in contact with patients.”
We have known for some time now that masks, physical distance and hand washing are good ways to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread.
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Dr. Christopher Labos, a cardiologist and epidemiologist in Montreal, supports wearing glasses or a face shield in high-risk environments such as hospitals, but says “it’s not that easy to determine how infection occurs, because once you get sick, there is no way to really tell where the virus came from. ”
Although surface transfer is possible, it is not as likely, he says. The primary source of infection comes from person-to-person interaction, through air.
But in response to a question about distribution, Labos says “I’m definitely not aware of much research on it.”
“I think what is happening is that throughout the pandemic it is becoming increasingly clear that respiratory transmission is the primary route and we are seeing more and more evidence that it is not just big drops as we said at the beginning,” he says . “But even small aerosols that can stay in the air for long periods of time, which we often talk about in terms of air transfer.”
Susanne Gulliver, an epidemiologist in St. Louis John’s, agree that there is not enough evidence yet, but we can still stick to the basics.
“There is no good data, but I want to remind people not to touch their eyes, to do what we have always done: wash your hands,” she says.
“We watch science happen in real time that many of the general public do not see; we test hypotheses and learn as we go and while communicating with the public. ”
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And while she says to do what makes you feel safe, the general public need not worry, Labos says – at least for now.
“If you’re trying to make the argument or trying to figure out if you need glasses or not, the best thing you can do is get a fitting mask,” he says.
And if you want better protection than a surgical mask, Labos says an N95 may be your best option.
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Reference-globalnews.ca