NEW YORK (WABC) -- Wearing glasses might give you an extra layer of protection against COVID.
A new study out of India found people who wear glasses are three times less likely to get the virus.
Researchers suggest that's because they're less likely to touch their eyes-- which can be a significant route of infection.
A previous study conducted in China found just 5% of those hospitalized with COVID wore glasses, while about 30% of the population wears glasses.
The study was conducted last summer in the northern district of Kanpur Dehat. It involved 304 patients ranging in age from 10 to 80 years old.
According to the report, all of them experienced coronavirus symptoms and about 60 were considered long-time glass-wearers.
Authors in the study noted that COVID-19 infection through the eyes "is extremely rare," but they said that droplets from the virus can easily go from the eyes to one's nose or mouth.
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