World Hand Hygiene Day 2025 may have passed, but its message still matters – perhaps more than ever. Marked globally on 5 May, this year’s awareness campaign shone a spotlight on the critical role of hand hygiene in protecting not just general health, but also something many Australians may not think twice about: eye health.

In our device-driven lives, we touch our faces, particularly our eyes, far more often than we realise. Whether adjusting glasses, alleviating stress or rubbing tired eyes after hours of screen time, our hands frequently come into contact with one of the body’s most sensitive areas. If those hands are unwashed, the risk of infection rises dramatically.

Healthcare experts used World Hand Hygiene Day to remind the public that our hands can be silent carriers of viruses, bacteria and allergens that cause painful and sometimes serious eye infections. Conditions like conjunctivitis, styes and even corneal ulcers are often linked to poor hand hygiene, especially among contact lens users.

ISSA senior director Gavin Macgregor-Skinner says one of the biggest myths about hand hygiene is the belief that clean-looking hands are actually clean. “Even if hands look clean, they can still transfer germs that can affect eyes such as adenoviruses, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas,” he says. “Hands that appear clean can transfer germs that lead to eye infections such as conjunctivitis or pink eye, keratitis or inflammation of the cornea, and styes that are blocked glands in the eyelids.”

Another widespread misconception, Macgregor-Skinner says, is that handwashing only matters around food or bathroom use. “Eye infections can spread through contaminated hands, even if they don’t look dirty, after touching shared surfaces or high-touch surfaces and then the eyes,” he says. “Any time you’re about to touch your face, especially your eyes, then stop and wash your hands with soap and water.”

Even hand sanitiser comes with a caution. “Using hand sanitizer helps kill germs on the skin, but residual alcohol from hand sanitizers on your fingers can irritate or damage the eyes if you touch them too soon,” he adds. “Let the hand sanitizer dry completely and avoid touching your eyes with your fingers and hands immediately after use.”

Among the infections associated with poor hand hygiene:
– Conjunctivitis, or pink eye, spreads rapidly and is often passed from person to person through direct or indirect contact.
– Styes, painful red lumps on the eyelid, are typically caused by bacteria transferred from dirty hands.
– Corneal ulcers, which pose a serious risk to vision, are more common in contact lens users who don’t clean their hands properly before handling lenses.

Although the official awareness day has passed, the message remains urgent. Good hand hygiene is not complicated, but it does require consistency. Experts continue to urge Australians to:
– Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before touching their eyes, applying drops or handling lenses.
– Avoid rubbing their eyes, a reflexive habit that can introduce harmful germs.
– Use hand sanitiser with at least 60 percent alcohol when soap and water aren’t available.
– Regularly clean items like glasses, eye makeup tools and electronic devices that frequently come into contact with the face.

Macgregor-Skinner says small design changes in healthcare facilities can go a long way to support better hygiene habits. “Locate hand washing stations with soap and water and alcohol-based hand rub dispensers in the places where they are needed – at the point of care, room entrances, and areas where there are lots of people,” he says. “I use nudge compliance to influence behaviour and decision-making in a positive way. Nudging can include using LED lights – I use the traffic light system – or voice-based nudges in a smart dispenser that can issue a friendly reminder to wash hands.”

He also recommends simple timing tools to support habit-building. “Studies have shown that washing hands with soap and water for 15 to 30 seconds removes more germs than washing for shorter periods,” he says. “We tried to teach people to sing Happy Birthday twice but for workers I add a timing device that counts down from 20 seconds.”

There are also broader environmental factors. Limiting infections means fewer prescriptions, reduced medical waste and less strain on health systems. Handwashing is a simple but powerful tool. Many viral and bacterial eye infections can be prevented just by maintaining proper hand hygiene.

World Hand Hygiene Day may be over, but the habits it promotes should be part of our everyday routine. Clean hands not only protect our health, they safeguard something essential to how we live, work and connect with the world – our vision.