Climate models already tell us we can expect mega storms like Helene along with mega floods and mega droughts, mega fires, and mega heat domes about once every decade (or sooner) as we tumble into a world 1.5-2C degrees above the pre-industrial temperature average. The same goes for diseases. We can now expect a pandemic on the same time scale. And honestly, the facts on the ground tell us that even these grim scenarios offer the most conservative warnings.
You know it’s bad when the climate deniers have started blaming secret weather machines for what’s happening. So, more pandemics are just another consequence of our collective failures to take action.
Maybe you’ve seen the latest news destroying the myth that bird flu was mild in cows. That was another convenient denial. In reality, bird flu is killing so many cows they can’t even cremate them fast enough. They’re rotting in the sun, covered in flies, exposed to whatever comes across them.
The spillover is happening.
We’re watching it.
If bird flu doesn’t start the next pandemic, it could be Mpox, Marburg, or a range of other diseases. They’re all causing more outbreaks, and the outbreaks are getting worse. Even if we don’t see another full-blown pandemic, the threat remains. What’s worse, a pandemic caused by a single virus, or being thrown back to the mid-19th century when several diseases spread rampant all the time?
We all have two choices. Everyone can continue whining about how traumatized they are by the last pandemic while letting the next one traumatize us even more, or we can do something to prepare. One of those things involves eye protection, something that has gone largely undiscussed in the conversation on preparedness. Turns out, it’s not quite as simple as you might think.
Why eye protection?
The H5N1 strain of bird flu “has a strong affinity” for “sialic acid receptors, which are present in the lower respiratory tract of humans” as well as “on the conjunctiva.” Basically: Birds, cows, and people have bird flu receptors in their noses and their eyes, which means you can get it either way. Right now, poultry and dairy workers face the most risk because they spend the most time with farm animals. On the other hand, this virus has continually caught the scientific community off guard, doing things they didn’t think would happen.
So…
Experts have always known that viruses like Covid can infect you through your eyes. It’s rare, but it happens. In fact, it probably explains a few cases when someone swears they masked and still got sick. It’s looking like bird flu will develop two modes of transmission: respiratory, and optical.
Yes, it sounds unfair. Nature doesn’t care.
Sure, you can buy goggles. Unfortunately, most goggles were designed to handle splashes, not airborne pathogens.
Otherwise, you’re going to need to cover those vents. Maybe you can do it with tape, or maybe you can use a hot glue gun to fill them. You’re also going to need to make sure those goggles come with some kind of anti-fog coating.
Have you ever worn goggles that fog up?
It’s not fun.
You can wear a full-face respirator. Several companies sell them, including 3M and Draeger. Make sure you get the right filter box. You need one that filters particulates. For example, the 60926 box works well. Here’s more info.
Also, do you wear prescription glasses?
The next part is important.
More than 40 percent of Americans are near-sighted. As this guy explains, you can’t just wear a full-face respirator over your lenses. That breaks the seal. It breaks the seal so bad that it renders your respirator nearly useless in a fit test. It’s the outer seal that protects you from stuff, not the inner one.
Some companies sell spectacle kits that you can fit inside your respirator. Give them your prescription, and they make the insert, including the lenses. Their kits fit some of the most popular brands and models.
(They’re expensive.)
You can wear contact lenses under goggles or a respirator. There’s a slight challenge with that. If you wear contacts, you know sometimes they need adjustment. On a bad day, they can cause irritation and you have to take them out. And eventually, you have to take them out no matter what. You can’t sleep in them. Have you ever lost a contact lens in the back of your eye? It’s pure hell. They’re not ideal in a situation where you need eye protection for long periods.
You can order prescription safety goggles, but they need to seal to your face. I’ve only found one pair that does that.
On the more expensive end, you can buy a powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) or a full hood respirator. They could be worth it if you have the money. As a bonus, nobody can accuse you of hiding your identity.
For my last resort, I’ve started looking at prescription swim goggles.
They also make prescription diving masks.
This looks promising.
As far as I can tell, there's no problem with wearing nonvented safety goggles for an entire workday. Beyond that? I don't know.
You know what I would like?
I'd like goggles with filtered vents. These don't seem to exist. If they do, they're hard to find and not widely available.
That's going to be a problem.
It's amazing that late-stage capitalism can churn out all kinds of junk we don't want, but never the things we need.
Also:
With greater protection comes greater social stigma. Some of us don’t care, but it’s not something to be dismissed. Even many people who readily wear an N95 show some reluctance to adopt full-face respirators. We’re going to have to take a nuanced approach here, normalizing eye protection while also recognizing that an N95 mask or equivalent is still mostly sufficient.
Bottom line:
We’re not ready. We don’t have the tools. In fact, our public health officials have colluded with politicians and the elite to throw away any tools we did have. Almost nobody in power wants to take this seriously.
We should be developing better eye protection.
Instead, it looks like some of us will be sporting prescription swim goggles at the beginning of the next pandemic.
