--- title: "Fauci Says Coronavirus Can Infect You Through Your Eyeballs" description: "The White House's top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci told ABC News that \"if you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it.\"" date: "2020-07-30" modified: "2020-07-30" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/fauci-face-shield-eyes" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Pathogens" - "Viruses" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "fauci" --- # Fauci Says Coronavirus Can Infect You Through Your Eyeballs ![The White House's top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci told ABC News that "if you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it."]() *\Image: Amazon/Victor Tangermann\* The White House's top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci [told *ABC News*]() that "if you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it." Wearing face shields was "not universally recommended," he said, "but if you really want to be complete, you should probably use it if you can." "You have mucosa in the nose, mucosa in the mouth, but you also have mucosa in the eye," Fauci explained. "Theoretically, you should protect all the mucosal surfaces." The science on face shields and their effectiveness against the coronavirus is still unclear. As per the [US Centers for Disease Protection website](), "it is not known if face shields provide any benefit as source control to protect others from the spray of respiratory particles," but "some people may choose to use a face shield when sustained close contact with other people is expected." "If you maintain physical distancing of at least 6 feet between you and other people when in public places, you will not need a face shield," reads a [John Hopkins Medicine FAQ](). "If you must be in close contact with someone who is not wearing a mask, a face shield may provide some additional protection." In the interview, Fauci also noted that there's "no real recommendation" for when somebody should get tested. "I would think that five days is good. I might even go a day or so early because the incubation period of when you get symptoms is about five days." In advance of this year's upcoming flu season, Fauci stressed the importance of wearing masks to "not only protect us against COVID-19, but also help protect us against influenza." "Go out there and get your flu shot when the flu vaccine becomes available," he added. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()