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

OBJECTIVE: 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 tend to fog up rendering unusable. The purpose of this study was build and test a filtered eye mask (FEM) to protect the eyes from airborne particles while being usable without excessive fog build up. METHODS: The steps performed to build the FEM were described. A hermetically-sealed standard eye mask (SEM) and a FEM were examined at 1minute, 5minutes and 60minute period for performance metrics relating to fog. RESULTS: The SEM showed minimal fog at 1-minute, very foggy at 5-minutes and dripping with condensation at 60minutes. The FEM was clear at 1-minute, 5-minutes and showed minimal fog at 60minutes. CONCLUSION: The 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.