5 Tips For Keeping Your Glasses Clear While Wearing A Mask
This year-long pandemic has been a trying time for everyone in one way or another, but there’s been one group of people who have been impacted worse than anyone: people who wear glasses. With everyone having to wear masks over their faces when they go outside, people who wear glasses have had a bit of a struggle thanks to how easy it is for their breath to fog-up their glasses while they’re wearing their masks.
It happens every time you take a breath, so if you’re trying to drive your car or are just simply going about your day in a rare moment of being outside the house, it can be annoying at best and outright dangerous at worst. Luckily, there are plenty of ways for someone who wears glasses to both wear a mask and not have it get in the way of their daily routine.
Here are 5 tips for keeping your glasses clean while wearing a mask:
1. Wear A Thick Mask
The main reason why a person’s glasses fog-up while wearing a mask is that the air they exhale escapes through openings in the mask and has nowhere to go but up, naturally creating a problem for the large number of people who would be wearing glasses. An easy way to circumvent the issue is by wearing a mask made out of thick material, as that’ll allow it to absorb more of your exhale and make less of your breath end up in your face. A thicker mask can also help prevent germs from entering your mouth, so it’s definitely something worth considering.
2. Put Your Glasses Against Your Mask
Like we said before, the main reason glasses get fogged up while wearing a mask is because of air escaping upwards with each exhale. A thick mask can help to prevent that, but an easy alternative to that is to use your own glasses to keep air from escaping. Just bring the top of your mask over the bridge of your nose and set your glasses down on top of it; this will keep your mask locked tight against your face, and so long as you don’t do anything too extraneous, the lock won’t get loose.
3. Tape Your Mask To Your Face
As previously stated, an easy solution for keeping your glasses clean is to keep your mask locked tight against your face to prevent air from getting loose and fogging them up. Simply using your glasses for this is an easy way to go, but if you want to do something that makes it less likely that your mask will come loose, you can try using tape to keep your mask against your face.
4. Wash Your Glasses With Soap
Another simple solution for keeping your glasses clean is to just give them a good wash with plenty of soap. If you wash the glass with soap, the soap will leave a thin layer of film that causes water molecules to spread out evenly and not get clustered together into the fog. It’s an easy and affordable way to keep your glasses clear, so no sense in not acting on them.
5. Buy Anti-Fog Wipes For Your Glasses
Wipes are a staple in the toolkit of anyone who wears glasses, but your standard wipes aren’t always going to cut it, especially in this kind of situation. Fortunately, it’s possible to buy anti-fog wipes that, just like the soap tip mentioned before, leave a surfactant film on your glasses to help prevent fog from accumulating over them. It might not be something you can automatically do at home, but it’ll still be more than worth it.
In conclusion, while those of us who wear glasses have certainly had a rough time during this pandemic, it’s never once been an impossible situation to deal with. Whether it’s something that would cost you a little money or something you can do with items you most likely already own, it’s more than possible to make it so you can wear glasses and a mask at the same time without fogging up your glasses. This past year has been all about overcoming adversity, and something like this shouldn’t be any different.
Opinions and Perspectives
Been wearing glasses for 20 years and never had to think about them this much before the pandemic.
Interesting that they didn't mention those stick-on nose bridges. Those really helped me.
After trying all these methods, I just bought a better quality mask with a strong nose wire. Problem solved.
Would love to see more research into permanent anti-fog coatings for glasses. Seems like a huge market opportunity.
I've found that different masks work better in different weather conditions. Need to have options.
The mask against glasses technique works but leaves marks on my lenses that are annoying to clean.
Using both the wire nose piece and tape together works better than either method alone.
I appreciate that most of these solutions are things we can try right away with items at home.
Sometimes I miss the days when glasses fogging up was just something that happened when you opened the dishwasher.
My solution was getting laser eye surgery. Extreme, I know, but no more foggy glasses!
Face shape really matters more than the article suggests. What works for one person might not work for another.
A good seal around the nose is absolutely crucial. Everything else is secondary in my experience.
The soap method worked for about an hour then started failing. Had to reapply multiple times throughout the day.
I carry a microfiber cloth and anti-fog spray in my bag now. It's become as essential as my wallet.
The article should have mentioned that different solutions work better for different face shapes and glass styles.
Never thought I'd spend so much time thinking about how to keep my glasses clear. What a strange time we live in.
The anti-fog wipes are convenient but get expensive over time. Wish there was a more sustainable solution.
Tried the tape method today after reading this. Works great but removing it was uncomfortable.
I'm glad they included affordable solutions like the soap method. Not everyone can buy special products.
Learning to breathe differently while wearing a mask took some getting used to but it really helps with the fogging.
The thick mask recommendation surprised me. I thought thinner masks with better seals would work better.
These tips are helpful but nothing beats having a properly fitted mask to begin with.
I've had success folding a tissue and placing it at the top of my mask to absorb moisture.
My glasses cost too much to experiment with soap or other products. I'll stick to proper mask fitting.
It's fascinating how many different approaches people have found to solve this problem. Shows human ingenuity at its finest.
I actually found that washing my glasses with dish soap works better than regular hand soap.
The article missed mentioning those nose bridge cushions you can stick on masks. They've been a game changer for me.
Anyone else notice their glasses fog up more in winter? These tips are especially relevant now.
The soap trick saved my sanity during the pandemic. Just make sure to use gentle soap and rinse thoroughly.
My biggest issue is that even when I get it right, everything falls apart if I need to talk a lot.
I've started keeping my glasses slightly lower on my nose and looking over them when they fog up. Not ideal but it works in a pinch.
The sprays work okay but they need to be reapplied more often than the wipes in my experience.
Has anyone tried those anti-fog sprays? Are they any better than the wipes?
Trust me, the tape method is worth it for important occasions. I use it when I need to drive or work long hours.
The tape method sounds effective but I can't imagine putting tape on my face every single day.
I find it interesting they didn't mention pinching the nose wire. That's been absolutely crucial for me.
Not everyone can wear contacts though. I tried but my eyes are too sensitive.
I actually switched to contacts because of this whole situation. Couldn't deal with the constant fogging anymore.
Just taking the time to properly adjust the mask makes such a difference. Most people don't realize how important a good fit is.
I've spent so much money trying different masks and anti-fog products. Sometimes the simplest solutions work best.
The best solution I've found is getting a mask with a wire nose piece and really molding it to fit my face properly.
You make a good point about the lens coatings. I ruined a pair trying various home remedies last year.
Isn't soap bad for lens coatings though? I worry about damaging my expensive glasses trying these DIY solutions.
My optometrist suggested treating the lenses with shaving cream believe it or not. Works surprisingly well!
I agree about the thick masks being problematic. I get much better results with the disposable surgical ones.
The thick mask suggestion actually made my fogging worse because it pushed more air up toward my glasses. Thin surgical masks work better for me.
Finally an article addressing this! I work in healthcare and have been dealing with this issue daily. The anti-fog wipes are totally worth the investment.
Anyone else think it's ridiculous we have to go through all this just to wear glasses and a mask at the same time? There should be a better solution by now.
I found that using medical tape on the top edge of my mask works amazingly well. It's gentle on skin and keeps everything sealed.
These are helpful suggestions but I'm surprised they didn't mention breathing downward which has worked best for me personally.
The soap thing doesn't work that well in my experience. I tried it and it left weird streaks on my lenses that were hard to clean off.
I've been struggling with foggy glasses all year! Can't wait to try some of these tips, especially the soap trick. Never thought of that one before.