There is no doubt that we are facing unprecedented circumstances in modern times today with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. At the time of this writing, there are 155,423 cases globally, with 5,400 deaths and 2,174 cases in the United States (with a death toll of 53). The U.S. Federal Government has banned travel from Europe into the United States. It has been reported that the pandemic has cost the United States $17 billion, and the president has just been tested for coronavirus. I summarize these activities because it will be interesting to see the current state of affairs in a few weeks when you receive this April issue.

The COVID-19 pandemic also sparked news related to the eye. In a large cohort study reported out of China, about 0.8% of laboratory-confirmed cases had conjunctival involvement (Guan et al, 2020). Of course, we all know well that viruses can cause conjunctival infection (e.g., adenoviruses). There is also biological plausibility for ocular exposure to coronavirus leading to systemic disease, although this is probably extremely infrequent due to its common transmission through the mouth or nose. We should all remember that for healthy individuals, contact lens wear continues to be very safe along these lines (and that spectacles do not provide any scientifically proven added protection). At this time, healthcare workers who interact with those who are infected are advised by the World Health Organization to wear approved personal protective equipment for the eyes (goggles, face masks, face shields). This, plus more information, is available in a Special Edition of Contact Lenses Today at www.clspectrum.com/newsletters/contact-lenses-today/march-12,-2020 .

Again, this is an unprecedented time, and we wish all of our readers, patients, and the general public the best as we come together globally to fight COVID-19.

For references, please visit www.clspectrum.com/references and click on document #293.

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The goal of Contact Lens Spectrum is to provide you with timely and thought-provoking articles that will help you become a more successful contact lens practitioner. Please let us know how we’re doing! E-mail CLSpectrum@pentavisionmedia.com with your comments or article submissions.