New Delhi, May 9 (IANSlife): The practice of hygiene is not new to us and is something which has been a part of our basic lessons since childhood. The Covid-19 pandemic has just shifted the subject to the forefront and has taught us to make cleanliness our priority and a regular habit.

International health forums have already shared guidelines which state that the spread of Covid-19 is possible through person-to-person contact and exposure to contaminated surfaces. It is found that Covid-19 can survive on certain hard surfaces forseveral days, so touching a contaminated surface and then touching your face potentially exposes you to the virus.

This brings an additional concern to people who use eyeglasses or lenses. They have to ensure that apart from maintaining self-hygiene, it is equally important to disinfect their eyewear on a regular basis. Pammi Jamalpuria, VP-Corporate Marketing, Vision Rx Lab, pioneer of international eyewear brand, Nova Eyewear shares a few important recommendations to prevent the spread of the virus through your eyewear or lenses:

Clean your hands before touching your contact lens or eye glasses - Always wash your hands with mild soap, dry your hands with a clean towel and then put your hands on your contact lens before putting it in your eyes. Remember do not apply any synthetic moisturizer or cosmetic before touching your lenses.

Clean your glasses at frequent intervals - Always clean your eyeglasses with a cleaning solution which contains mild detergent, helpful to remove surface microbes. Before using it you will have to make sure that you clean them thoroughly, not forgetting the nose pads and sides, and dry them with a clean glass cleaning cloth.

Keep your glasses in dedicated boxes - Always remember to keep your glasses in dedicated boxes or in some hard shell cases. Keeping them at random spaces can make its surface collect dust and dirt. Hence it is advisable to keep your spectacle in a right sized hard shell case when you are not using them at all.

Have a good grip - Always hold your frames and glasses with care. The gripping has to be careful to protect the glasses from bending and making it uncomfortable to wear.

When putting your glasses on or taking them off, it is almost impossible to do so without touching your face. Make sure your hands are clean before doing so by washing them with soap and water.

It is advisable to go for a professional cleaning if there is accumulation of lot of grime from years of wearing. Lenses that don't have many blemishes and frames that have maintained their shape well can be given professional cleaning to use for a longer run.

Eye health practitioners have confirmed that eyeglasses may help to prevent the virus as one avoids touching their eyes, but it is important to follow the tips as suggested to keep your essentials contamination free and stop the possible transmission through it.