Local eye doctors have heard complaints from patients of eye strain during the COVID-19 pandemic, but some eye doctors are seeing other problems too. Dr. Michael Cusick is an ophthalmologist at UVA, and said hand sanitizer related injuries have gone up during the pandemic with the biggest concern for the younger population. “Along with it’s increased use, we’ve seen a variety of situations where it is making its way into the eyes, especially in our younger population,” Cusick said. The good news is there is often no severe damage done to the eyes if hand sanitizer gets in them. Cusick explains it is similar to getting shampoo in your eyes, you just need to rinse them out with eye drops or saline. The American Academy of Ophthalmology has created four specific recommendations to avoid hand sanitizer-related injury. The first is to avoid having dispensers at children’s eye level, so the hand sanitizer won’t accidentally shoot in their eyes. The second is to make sure the hand sanitizer is fully dry on your hands if you must touch your face. Doctors advise avoiding touching your face during the pandemic. They advise keeping the nozzle of dispensers clear so hand sanitizer won’t shoot in a direction you didn’t intend it to, and possibly into the eyes. Lastly, they advise using a foam hand sanitizer when possible because there is less of a concern of the sanitizer getting in the eyes than with a gel sanitizer. Cusick also hopes people won’t lose sight of routine eye care practices in the pandemic, such as routine eye checks and using general eye protection when necessary. Source
