Eye Protection, PPE Readiness, and COVID-19 Field Observations

Context and Overview

Speaker is reflecting on practical lessons learned in a clinical / EMS setting.
Initial conversation fragment (“Per month or per semester … police escort … it all depends”) suggests a discussion about the variability of certain operational procedures (possibly escort schedules, budgets, or training timelines).
Main focus quickly shifts to infection-control habits, especially eye protection, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rule of thumb from the field: “If it’s wet, not yours, and you aren’t married to or dating it, don’t touch it.”
- Emphasizes avoidance of contact with any potentially infectious bodily fluid.
- Acts as an easy-to-remember filter for deciding when to don protective barriers (gloves, eye protection, face shield, gown, etc.).

Originally began wearing safety glasses because of frequent exposure to airborne droplets/splashes that left “specks” on regular glasses.
With age, required reading magnification to see small print on medication vials and charts.
Solution: switched to safety glasses with built-in readers (dual function = splash shield + magnification).
Practical takeaway: PPE must also accommodate provider’s baseline vision needs, or it will be abandoned / compromised.

Medical director noticed a pattern during the pandemic:
- Personnel who experienced more severe COVID-19 symptoms often had not been consistently wearing eye protection while treating patients.
- When anyone reported symptoms, the director explicitly back-tracked: “Did you wear your eye pro? Face shield?”
Although not a controlled study, this field observation reinforces the importance of covering mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) in respiratory illness outbreaks.
Implicit hypothesis: viral inoculum via conjunctiva can contribute to disease severity.

Critical reminder:
- Have eye protection (and full airway PPE—mask, face shield) in or on the intubation/airway kit so it can be donned instantly.
- “If you have to go look for it, you’re already behind.”
Ensures providers are protected before exposure (especially during aerosol-generating procedures such as bag-mask ventilation or intubation).
Encourages building PPE placement into standard operating procedures (SOPs) and checklists.

Duty to protect oneself to maintain the workforce and prevent secondary spread to patients, co-workers, and family.
Balancing vision clarity (reading drug labels accurately) with barrier protection is both a safety and medication-error-prevention issue.

Mirrors ANSI / OSHA eye-and-face-protection standards for “blood or bodily fluid splash” risk.
Aligns with CDC COVID-19 guidance recommending eye protection during patient contact when community transmission is high.
Echoes broader infection-control hierarchy: Elimination → Engineering → Administrative → PPE – this content focuses on the PPE tier but hints at administrative controls (e.g., having PPE stocked in the kit).

Memorize the wet-contact rule: avoid touching any wet substance that is not yours.
Understand that eye protection is a critical but sometimes overlooked component of standard / droplet precautions.
Recognize the potential link between lack of eye protection and increased COVID-19 severity—valuable anecdotal evidence to support strict PPE compliance.
Incorporate ready-access PPE into every airway or procedure kit to eliminate delay and reduce human error.
Remember: PPE must be compatible with provider’s functional needs (e.g., built-in readers) to ensure continuous use.