Addressing the corona virus pandemic: will a novel filtered eye mask help?

•The CDC recommends not touching the eyes to prevent 2019-nCoV•Non-hermetically sealed eye protection does not protect the eyes against airborne particulates•Hermetically sealed goggles protect the eyes, but tend to fog up, which is a barrier to use•A filtered eye mask (FEM) is a design to both prot...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	International journal of infectious diseases 2020-06, Vol.95, p.340-344
Main Authors:	Douglas, David, Douglas, Robert
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Betacoronavirus Coronavirus Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control COVID-19 Eye protection Eye Protective Devices Filtered eye mask (FEM) Humans Masks Original Research Pandemics - prevention & control Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control SARS-CoV-2 Time Factors
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Summary:	•The CDC recommends not touching the eyes to prevent 2019-nCoV•Non-hermetically sealed eye protection does not protect the eyes against airborne particulates•Hermetically sealed goggles protect the eyes, but tend to fog up, which is a barrier to use•A filtered eye mask (FEM) is a design to both protect the eyes from particulates and prevent fog•An FEM may help to mitigate the spread of 2019-nCoV and should be researched further Non-hermetically sealed eye protection does not fully protect the eyes from airborne particles. Hermetically sealed eye protection fully protects the eyes from particles, but tends to fog up, rendering it unusable. This study aimed to build and test a filtered eye mask (FEM) to protect the eyes from airborne particles, while being usable without excessive fog build up. The steps performed to build the FEM were described. A hermetically-sealed standard eye mask (SEM) and an FEM were examined at 1-minute, 5-minute and 60-minute periods for performance metrics relating to fog. The SEM showed minimal fog at 1minute, lots of fog at 5minutes and was dripping with condensation at 60minutes. The FEM was clear at 1minute, 5minutes and showed minimal fog at 60minutes. An FEM may play an important role in preventing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) exposure by protecting the eyes from airborne particles and preventing fog, rendering it usable. Further research is strongly recommended.
ISSN:	1201-9712 1878-3511