A story that went up on the New York Times website this morning reports on a study from researchers of hospital admissions in one Chinese city that concludes that wearing eyeglasses, in addition to masks, may significantly lower exposure to the coronavirus. They found that the rate of patients who regularly wore specs who were admitted to hospitals with the virus was far lower than those who met the world with open eyes and no intervening glasses.

Then again, the survey covered only 300 patients, which is too small to be determinative. Nonetheless, experts are advancing possible explanations for the phenomenon, should it prove to be real. As the Times summarizes them:

It may be that eyeglasses act as a partial barrier, protecting eyes from the splatter of a cough or sneeze. Another explanation for the finding could be that people who wear glasses are less likely to rub their eyes with contaminated hands.

I’d like to proffer a third explanation. In my experience—living, as I do, in the relatively hot, humid climate of Washington, D.C.—wearing my glasses and face mask, which I do when I’m out in public, so steams up my specs that I can barely see where I’m going. It has led to regrettable mishaps, like bumping into a parked truck or the occasional building. In consequence, I probably don’t venture out as frequently as I otherwise would, which doubtless reduces my chance of exposure.

I advance this hypothesis in the spirit of scientific inquiry.