Can you catch a cold through your eyes?
It happens quite often actually. Rubbing your eyes after coming in contact with an infected person is one of the most common ways to catch a cold. A virus can quickly spread throughout the body by traveling into the tear ducts.
Here are some precautions to take to lower your risk during cold season.
- Wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your eyes and face as much as possible.
- Keeping hand sanitizer with you at all times during cold season may help to reduce the chances of contracting a virus as well.
- If you wear contacts, wash your hands thoroughly before putting your contacts in and properly disinfecting your contacts with a multi-purpose solution, not saline.
- Rubbing your eyes could also allow bacteria to enter the eye, resulting in a higher risk for an eye infection.
All of these precautions can also be used to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19. To learn more about how we are keeping our patients safe during visits, check out our Eyes On Safety blog.
