How do I stop my glasses from fogging while wearing a mask?

People who wear eyeglasses have always had to deal with them fogging up when walking outside into the heat after being in an air conditioned building. Since COVID 19 safety protocols went into effect, many people have experienced the annoyance of putting on a mask, only to have glasses fog up immediately. When you are wearing a face mask, you breathe out warm air which 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 and requires the person to wipe the glasses, only to have them fog up again a few seconds later.  Fortunately, there are several ways to combat this problem and make your life, already dealing with a pandemic, less stressful.

Here are some suggestions:

• Get more air circulating: Try pushing your glasses forward on your nose just a bit. This allows more air to circulate so your breath doesn’t fog your vision. You could also adjust your glasses. If the eyeglass frame has nose pads, you can tweak the pads so that the frame sits slightly farther from your face.

• Breathe downward: It might be awkward, but breathing downward can be a quick anti-fog fix.This sends the air away from your glasses. You breathe downward by holding your upper lip over your lower lip. Then blow air downward, as if you’re playing a flute.

• Create a tighter seal: Pinch the mask over the bridge of your nose so it fits comfortably and adjust the seal along the top edge of the surgical mask. Twist the loops once and put them over your ears (they’ll form a figure eight when viewed from the side). Twisting the loops puts slight downward pressure on the top part of the mask, redirecting your breath so it doesn’t flow up into your eyes.

• Close the gap: If your mask isn’t snug enough on the bridge of your nose, you can tape your mask down around the bridge of your nose and to your cheeks with sports or medical tape. Don’t use duct tape or tape that wasn’t made to be used on the skin. If you have sensitive skin, test the tape out beforehand to make sure that it doesn’t cause irritation.

• Rest your glasses on your mask: Whatever type of mask you’re wearing, once you’ve fit the mask to the bridge of your nose, try resting your eyeglasses on it. Covering a quarter inch of the mask with the bottom of your frames creates a seal. 

• Use an anti-fogging cream or spray on your lenses or safety goggles. This is available from most optical shops or drugstores.  

• Washing your lenses with soap and water before wearing them may help. Simply wash your lenses with soapy water and shake off the excess liquid. You can allow your lenses to air dry or gently wipe them off with a soft cloth before wearing your glasses again. This method work? because the soap leaves behind a thin film that acts as a fog barrier. If you have special coatings on your lenses, check with your optician before trying this so you don’t ruin them.

• Order a coating for new lenses: If you’re buying new eyeglasses, consider lenses with a permanent anti-fogging coating. It prevents the fogging that happens when you transition from a cold environment to a warm one. It can also keep your lenses from fogging up while perspiring while playing outdoor sports like tennis or football.

 Unfortunately, it looks like we may be dealing with masks for the foreseeable future, so hopefully these ways to prevent eyeglasses from fogging while wearing a mask will make your life a little easier.