Expert highlights what care is needed to ensure health and well-being in times of COVID-19

São Paulo, May 2021 –  As the new coronavirus pandemic continues to be part of everyone’s daily life, care with hygiene and cleaning of personal items remains essential and should be further strengthened. The preventive measures adopted and passed on by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) must be followed correctly to ensure the safety and protection of everyone at that time, including those who wear contact lenses. According to research published in the newspaper Contact Lens & Anterior Eye (CORE) last year, users of contact lenses can rest assured while using them during the pandemic, as long as they follow the hygiene guidelines properly.

According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), almost one in five Brazilians (19%) has some need for visual correction. Therefore, for both spectacle wearers and contact lens wearers, one of the main recommendations is to keep your hands always clean and to avoid bringing them to your eyes or any part of your face under any circumstances. According to Dr. Débora Espada Sivuchin, an ophthalmologist at Johnson & Johnson Vision, it is important to follow the guidelines provided by public health authorities. “At the moment we are going through, it is even more important to pay attention and care for the hygiene of items for personal use, especially contact lenses. Our goal is always to make people aware with relevant information and to help prevent and reduce the spread of the virus. And for users of contact lenses, the routine does not need to change, if the recommendations and care that should be maintained routinely are followed correctly”.

Check out some tips from experts to have safety and comfort in the use of contact lenses:

1. You can continue to wear contact lenses:  There is no scientific evidence that contact lens wearers are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 compared to spectacle wearers. Consult your ophthalmologist and maintain the recommended lens cleaning, hygiene and storage routine.
2. Good essential hygiene habits:  Correct and thorough hand washing and drying are essential, as well as proper care of contact lenses, ensuring good hygiene of the contact lens case and regularly cleaning the glasses with soap and water. These habits can help you stay healthy and away from health problems.
3. Regular eyeglasses offer no protection:  No scientific evidence supports rumors that ordinary eyeglasses offer extra protection against COVID-19, a position supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
4. Keep your hands away from your face:  Regardless of whether you wear contact lenses, glasses or do not need visual correction, avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes with your unwashed hands, as directed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and CDC.
5. If you are sick, temporarily stop using your lenses: Contact lens wearers who are sick should stop using the lenses while they are showing signs and symptoms of COVID-19. After this period, you should return to your eye doctor and, according to your guidelines, you can resume using contact lenses, remembering to also use new cases for storing the lenses.

Worldwide leadership

Johnson & Johnson Vision has a broad portfolio of eye health solutions. It acts in the prevention and relief of problems such as dry eye, correction and improvement of refractive errors, in addition to treating diseases such as cataracts.

It is the absolute leader in contact lenses in the world, responsible for the ACUVUE brand, and for many of the innovations that exist today for contact lens wearers.

Johnson & Johnson Vision brings together innovative visions, science, technology and people to encourage professionals and patients to proactively sow and cultivate a vision for life. And it delivers relevant innovations that improve the vision of patients and enhance the ability of professionals, ophthalmologists, to provide the best outcomes.

About Johnson & Johnson Vision

Johnson & Johnson Vision, the world’s leading contact lens manufacturer, is fully committed to improving patients’ quality of life and working in partnership with ophthalmologists. Since ACUVUE®, a brand that made its debut in 1987 with the world’s first gelatinous and disposable contact lens, the company has, repeatedly, presented innovative and high quality products for the sector. ACUVUE® brings solutions to correct astigmatism, myopia, hyperopia and presbyopia and is in the eyes of about 35 million people around the world. For more information, visit  www.acuvue.com.br .

Leila Justo