A rapidly increasing number of people has been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [1]. To date, the Italian COVID-19 outbreak represents one of the largest outside China [2]. In order to face it, the Italian government has placed the whole of Italy—a country with an estimated population of 60.4 million—under quarantine. In detail quarantine is defined as people are forbidden from assembling in public places and are recommended to keep at least 1-m distance from each other, and restaurants, pubs, and shopping centers—except for pharmacies and food markets—are obligated to remain close. These norms are even more rigorous in Lombardy, a large region in northern Italy, where most hot zones (i.e., where COVID-19 cases are more concentrated) have been reported to date.

A growing evidence suggests that human-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurs among close contacts through droplets, contacts, and fomites [3]. Health workers may be contaminated during patient care. To date, more than 7500 health workers have been affected by COVID-19 in Italy, and among them more than 50 medical doctors have died from this infection. Although there is no information regarding the number of ophthalmologists affected, it is known that they are at high risk of infection assuming the close proximity between eye doctors and patients during examination and that a contamination may be present in ocular discharge and tears.

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