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The COVID-19 pandemic: Important considerations for contact lens practitioners.
Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2020 06; 43(3):196-203.CL

Abstract

A novel coronavirus (CoV), the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus - 2 (SARS-CoV-2), results in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As information concerning the COVID-19 disease continues to evolve, patients look to their eye care practitioners for accurate eye health guidance. There is currently no evidence to suggest an increased risk of contracting COVID-19 through contact lens (CL) wear compared to spectacle lens wear and no scientific evidence that wearing standard prescription spectacles provides protection against COVID-19 or other viral transmissions. During the pandemic there will potentially be significant changes in access to local eyecare. Thus, it is imperative CL wearers are reminded of the steps they should follow to minimise their risk of complications, to reduce their need to leave isolation and seek care. Management of adverse events should be retained within optometric systems if possible, to minimise the impact on the wider healthcare service, which will be stretched. Optimal CL care behaviours should be the same as those under normal circumstances, which include appropriate hand washing (thoroughly with soap and water) and drying (with paper towels) before both CL application and removal. Daily CL cleaning and correct case care for reusable CL should be followed according to appropriate guidelines, and CL exposure to water must be avoided. Where the availability of local clinical care is restricted, practitioners could consider advising patients to reduce or eliminate sleeping in their CL (where patients have the appropriate knowledge about correct daily care and access to suitable lens-care products) or consider the option of moving patients to daily disposable lenses (where patients have appropriate lens supplies available). Patients should also avoid touching their face, including their eyes, nose and mouth, with unwashed hands and avoid CL wear altogether if unwell (particularly with any cold or flu-like symptoms).

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Authors+Show Affiliations

Jones L
School of Optometry & Vision Science, Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: lwjones@uwaterloo.ca.
Walsh K
Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: karen.walsh@uwaterloo.ca.
Willcox M
School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: m.willcox@unsw.edu.au.
Morgan P
The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. Electronic address: philip.morgan@manchester.ac.uk.
Nichols J
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. Electronic address: jjn@uab.edu.

MeSH

BetacoronavirusCOVID-19Contact Lens SolutionsContact LensesCoronavirus InfectionsCross InfectionDisease Transmission, InfectiousHand HygieneHumansInfection ControlPandemicsPneumonia, ViralProfessional PracticeSARS-CoV-2

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

32273245

Citation

Jones, Lyndon, et al. "The COVID-19 Pandemic: Important Considerations for Contact Lens Practitioners." Contact Lens & Anterior Eye : the Journal of the British Contact Lens Association, vol. 43, no. 3, 2020, pp. 196-203.
Jones L, Walsh K, Willcox M, et al. The COVID-19 pandemic: Important considerations for contact lens practitioners. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2020;43(3):196-203.
Jones, L., Walsh, K., Willcox, M., Morgan, P., & Nichols, J. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic: Important considerations for contact lens practitioners. Contact Lens & Anterior Eye : the Journal of the British Contact Lens Association, 43(3), 196-203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clae.2020.03.012
Jones L, et al. The COVID-19 Pandemic: Important Considerations for Contact Lens Practitioners. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2020;43(3):196-203. PubMed PMID: 32273245.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - The COVID-19 pandemic: Important considerations for contact lens practitioners. AU - Jones,Lyndon, AU - Walsh,Karen, AU - Willcox,Mark, AU - Morgan,Philip, AU - Nichols,Jason, Y1 - 2020/04/03/ PY - 2020/03/26/received PY - 2020/03/29/revised PY - 2020/03/29/accepted PY - 2020/4/11/pubmed PY - 2020/6/6/medline PY - 2020/4/11/entrez KW - COVID-19 KW - contact lens KW - lens care KW - lens wear SP - 196 EP - 203 JF - Contact lens & anterior eye : the journal of the British Contact Lens Association JO - Cont Lens Anterior Eye VL - 43 IS - 3 N2 - A novel coronavirus (CoV), the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus - 2 (SARS-CoV-2), results in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As information concerning the COVID-19 disease continues to evolve, patients look to their eye care practitioners for accurate eye health guidance. There is currently no evidence to suggest an increased risk of contracting COVID-19 through contact lens (CL) wear compared to spectacle lens wear and no scientific evidence that wearing standard prescription spectacles provides protection against COVID-19 or other viral transmissions. During the pandemic there will potentially be significant changes in access to local eyecare. Thus, it is imperative CL wearers are reminded of the steps they should follow to minimise their risk of complications, to reduce their need to leave isolation and seek care. Management of adverse events should be retained within optometric systems if possible, to minimise the impact on the wider healthcare service, which will be stretched. Optimal CL care behaviours should be the same as those under normal circumstances, which include appropriate hand washing (thoroughly with soap and water) and drying (with paper towels) before both CL application and removal. Daily CL cleaning and correct case care for reusable CL should be followed according to appropriate guidelines, and CL exposure to water must be avoided. Where the availability of local clinical care is restricted, practitioners could consider advising patients to reduce or eliminate sleeping in their CL (where patients have the appropriate knowledge about correct daily care and access to suitable lens-care products) or consider the option of moving patients to daily disposable lenses (where patients have appropriate lens supplies available). Patients should also avoid touching their face, including their eyes, nose and mouth, with unwashed hands and avoid CL wear altogether if unwell (particularly with any cold or flu-like symptoms). SN - 1476-5411 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/32273245/The_COVID_19_pandemic:_Important_considerations_for_contact_lens_practitioners_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -