Conquering the Fog
Face Masks + Glasses = Fog
August 5, 2020 | by rebecca stewart
Picture it: Early days of the pandemic, pre- mandatory mask-wearing, mid- shelter-in-place order. This girl going to the grocery store for the first time in forever, trying to do her part by donning a mask. She's wearing glasses. As she navigates through the store, she finds her glasses are fogging up like crazy, so on and off the glasses go, trying to combat the fog (a solution that she recognized to be counter-productive on multiple levels). Fast-forward to the beginning of the mask-wearing mandate and the purchasing of a mask that better fits her face. A vast improvement on the fogging front, but still causing issues here and there.
A small problem in the grand scheme of things? Absolutely. A nuisance that can be helped. You bet.
Knowing she's not alone on the mask-wearing, glasses-fogging front, we turned to Dr. Felstet at Billings Vision Center for some safe-for-our-lenses tips on stopping the fog. Dr. Felstet recommends FogStopper (you can purchase at their office, 1331 24th Street West, Billings). He explains that FogStopper prevents fogging on all lenses! It's great for eyeglasses when wearing a mask, and also for swim goggles and sportswear. As an added bonus, it's easy to use-simply apply 1-2 drops on inside of lenses and gently spread with soft cloth.
Beyond utilizing an anti-fogging solution, like FogStopper, the American Academy of Ophthalmology offers these tips for wearing a mask without the fogging of the glasses:
Fit your mask to your face-
An ill-fitting mask will allow warm air to escape, thus creating the foggy situation, so when putting your mask on, be sure to pinch the top of your mask to fit the shape of your nose. If the mask allows for it, tighten the sides for a more secure fit as well.
Adjust your glasses-
Pushing glasses forward on your nose allows for better air circulation.
Rest glasses atop the face mask-
Finally, try pulling your mask up over your nose, resting your glasses on top of it. This blocks the air from escaping and prevents fogging. Make sure your mask is still properly fitting your face with this method; your nose and mouth should be completely covered.
Fogging eyeglasses are certainly not the greatest problem we'll encounter while navigating this pandemic, but if there are things we can do to help make the mask-wearing more bearable, then we're all for it! #MaskUpMontana
