In many parts of the world, nearly two out of three people wear corrective eyewear. And lately, many of us have the same complaint: wearing a mask makes our glasses fog. While face masks help us avoid unknowingly transmitting coronavirus, millions of glasses wearers are discovering the nuisance of mask-induced foggy lenses.
While the problem is new to us, it’s a daily challenge for people who wear glasses.
We have compiled tips for lifting the fog from your glasses when you’re wearing a mask, but first let’s go over why your lenses are steaming up in the first place.
Why are my glasses foggy?
People who wear glasses already know that eyewear fogs when you walk out of a warm house into the cold outdoor air, or when you open an oven door. Body heat and air flow lead to foggy lenses. A face mask directs much of the exhaled air upward.
When we wear a mask, warm breath can escape through the top edges, along the tops of our cheeks. When the hot air lands on cooler lenses, it creates condensation on the surface and a foggy film. Cold weather makes the problem worse. When you’re wearing a face mask, you repeatedly breathe out warm air. This air then can sneak out of the top of your mask and steam up the lenses of your glasses. Of course, this can make it difficult to see.
The “misting” of lenses happens when warm water vapor from your breath lands on the cooler lenses, producing tiny droplets that scatter light and reduce the lenses’ ability to transmit contrast (when light colors remain light and dark colors remain dark). The droplets form because of the inherent surface tension between the water molecules.
How to avoid foggy glasses
Now that you know why your lenses fog up, let’s review some ways to prevent this fog when you’re wearing glasses and a face mask.
1. Wash the lenses with mild soapy water
Before slipping on a face mask, you should wash your glasses or sunglasses lenses with mild soapy water and shake off the excess moisture. Then, let your glasses air dry or gently dry the lenses with a clean microfiber cloth.
Using this method, the lenses shouldn’t fog up once you put on the mask and glasses. Why? Cleaning the lenses with soapy water leaves a thin film that reduces the “inherent surface tension” and prods the water molecules to form a transparent layer.
2. Seal the mask
Keeping your breath in your mask and away from your spectacles keeps your lenses from fogging up. This will ensure that your mask is well-fitted and will help to prevent the amount of hot air that can reach the lens. You can start by improving the seal of the mask around the top of your face.
Mold your mask. Medical masks have built-in, bendable metal strips that you can mold to the bridge of your nose. You can add pipe cleaners or paper clips to the top of a homemade fabric mask to get the same effect.
Tighten the mask. Adjust the ties or the ear loops so the mask fits snugly against your face. Most of the breath should be going through the mask. If you feel the air going in or out around the mask, tighten the ties.
Tape your mask. Another option is to use white athletic or medical tape or even an adhesive bandage to seal the top of the mask around the bridge of your nose. This is something a lot of medical students learn early on when they’re using eye protection goggles. Don’t use nonporous household tapes like packing tape or duct tape, which could irritate skin. Taping is a lot of work for a short trip outside, but might be warranted if you’re caring for a sick person.
Pull up your mask. An easier tip for day-to-day mask wear is to use the weight of your glasses to block the air. Pull the mask up over the bridge of the nose as high as you can (make sure it’s still under your chin too) and let your glasses rest on top of the mask.
3. Use a tissue
This is primarily an option for paper or cloth facial masks that don’t seal around your face and is another way to try to minimize the moisture that flows from your breath upwards towards your glasses. It’s a tip that comes from Japanese folks who are more experienced with wearing masks in times of crisis.
Take a single plain tissue and fold it up, and put it beneath the top edge of the mask before putting the mask on and (if possible) pinching it down. This provides two benefits.
The first benefit is that, as an absorbent cloth, the tissue will help block and absorb the moisture from your breath that would otherwise pass upwards and fog up your glasses. The second benefit is that it provides a bit of softer padding than the inside of a mask typically provides, making it a bit more comfortable to wear.
4. Adjust your glasses
If your glasses have nose pads, you can tweak the pads so that the frames sit slightly farther from your face.
Be careful, though. Altering the nose pads may slightly change your vision if you wear glasses with progressive lenses or lenses with a strong prescription. If that happens, you might need to hold your head at a different angle to compensate for the vision change.
5. Breathe downward
It might be awkward, but breathing downward can be a quick anti-fog fix. This sends the air away from your glasses.
How do you breathe downward? Hold your upper lip over your lower lip. Then blow air downward, as if you’re playing a flute.
6. Check out anti-fog lenses
This won’t fix your foggy-lens problem right away, but you might consider buying lenses with an anti-fog coating like OPTIFOG from Essilor. An anti-fog coating gives you a hassle-free answer to foggy lenses, regardless of whether the obstructed vision is triggered by a face mask or something else.
Visit us to learn more about and to compare anti-fog lens options.
I’ve tried everything, and nothing works. What’s wrong?
Now the bad news. Many eyeglasses are now treated with special protective coatings that resist glare and smudges. The problem is that the coatings also may resist anti-fog treatments, including home remedies like soapy water .
Some glasses are treated with a special coatings, which promises protection against UV rays, glare, scratches, smudges, dust and water. The coating, unfortunately, also appeared to protect the lenses from anti-fogging efforts.
If nothing works, do I just have to live with foggy lenses when I wear a mask?
As a last resort, you can try pushing your glasses forward on your nose to allow more air to circulate and stop the fog. The downside is that it could distort your vision. The only caveat is that it throws off your perception slightly. It might be less disruptive with a lesser prescription.
The last option that you could explore is perhaps getting contact lenses or getting your eyes corrected with LASIK. This would allow you to be rid of glasses for good, thus no foggy lens problems to contend with.