Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 Dec 1;5(12):e2244495.
doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.44495.

Effect of Wearing Glasses on Risk of Infection With SARS-CoV-2 in the Community: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Atle Fretheim  1   2 , Ingeborg Hess Elgersma  1 , Arnfinn Helleve  3 , Petter Elstrøm  1   4 , Oliver Kacelnik  1   4 , Lars G Hemkens  5   6   7
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effect of Wearing Glasses on Risk of Infection With SARS-CoV-2 in the Community: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Atle Fretheim et al. JAMA Netw Open. .

Abstract

Importance: Observational studies have reported an association between the use of eye protection and reduced risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses, but, as with most infection control measures, no randomized clinical trials have been conducted.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of wearing glasses in public as protection against being infected with SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses.

Design, setting, and participants: A randomized clinical trial was conducted in Norway from February 2 to April 24, 2022; all adult members of the public who did not regularly wear glasses, had no symptoms of COVID-19, and did not have COVID-19 in the last 6 weeks were eligible.

Intervention: Wearing glasses (eg, sunglasses) when close to others in public spaces for 2 weeks.

Main outcomes and measures: The primary outcome was a positive COVID-19 test result reported to the Norwegian Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases. Secondary outcomes included a positive COVID-19 test result and respiratory infection based on self-report. All analyses adhered to the intention-to-treat principle.

Results: A total of 3717 adults (2439 women [65.6%]; mean [SD] age, 46.9 [15.1] years) were randomized. All were identified and followed up in the registries, and 3231 (86.9%) responded to the end of study questionnaire. The proportions with a reported positive COVID-19 test result in the national registry were 3.7% (68 of 1852) in the intervention group and 3.5% (65 of 1865) in the control group (absolute risk difference, 0.2%; 95% CI, -1.0% to 1.4%; relative risk, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.75-1.50). The proportions with a positive COVID-19 test result based on self-report were 9.6% (177 of 1852) in the intervention group and 11.5% (214 of 1865) in the control group (absolute risk difference, -1.9%; 95% CI, -3.9% to 0.1%; relative risk, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.69-1.00). The risk of respiratory infections based on self-reported symptoms was lower in the intervention group (30.8% [571 of 1852]) than in the control group (34.1% [636 of 1865]; absolute risk difference, -3.3%; 95% CI, -6.3% to -0.3%; relative risk, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82-0.99).

Conclusions and relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, wearing glasses in the community was not protective regarding the primary outcome of a reported positive COVID-19 test. However, results were limited by a small sample size and other issues. Glasses may be worth considering as one component in infection control, pending further studies.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05217797.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Flow Diagram of Participants
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Recruitment Timeline
Gray bars indicate participants enrolled each day. Blue lines indicate changes in testing recommendations. PCR indicates polymerase chain reaction.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Maxcy KF. The transmission of infection through the eye. J Am Med Assoc. 1919;72(9):636-639. doi:10.1001/jama.1919.02610090020005 - DOI
    1. Coroneo MT, Collignon PJ. SARS-CoV-2: eye protection might be the missing key. Lancet Microbe. 2021;2(5):e173-e174. doi:10.1016/S2666-5247(21)00040-9 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jefferson T, Del Mar CB, Dooley L, et al. . Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;11:CD006207. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub5 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chu DK, Akl EA, Duda S, Solo K, Yaacoub S, Schünemann HJ; COVID-19 Systematic Urgent Review Group Effort (SURGE) study authors . Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2020;395(10242):1973-1987. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31142-9 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Byambasuren O, Beller E, Clark J, Collignon P, Glasziou P. The effect of eye protection on SARS-CoV-2 transmission: a systematic review. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. 2021;10(1):156. doi:10.1186/s13756-021-01025-3 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data