Masks for people with glasses
With the current Coronavirus pandemic it is now essential to take all precautionary measures to avoid being infected. The main precautionary measure to contain the Covid-19 contagion is to wear a face mask to protect yourself and those around you.
Wearing a protective face mask is a very simple gesture, which allows you to prevent spreading the droplets of saliva that spread the virus and, therefore, not infect other people. In fact, this is a good courtesy all around. There are different types of masks, from surgical ones (which protect other people) to those with different filters and which protect other people and prevent you from being infected.
But all these masks have something in common: they generate great discomfort in people who wear eyeglasses. The mask frequently fogs up the glasses and becomes a great nuisance. It can be frustrating enough to put on the mask daily and it is an added sense of discomfort to deal with constantly fogged up glasses.
What can be done to prevent it? There are some tips to allow those who have glasses not to have to deal with fogged lenses every day; here they are!
1) Purchase the correct mask
Make sure you only buy and wear masks that allow you to adjust it to the size of your nose and make the mask fabric adhere well to the contours of your face, such as FDA Appendix A KN95 or USA Made 3-ply face masks, which both have a metal nose bridge for a snug fit which helps minimize or prevent the fogging. This will not only increase the effectiveness of the protection but will prevent most of the air from escaping and misting your lenses.
The masks that allow you to adapt to your nose's size have a light metal folding wire at the top and are the vast majority of those on the market. However, there are a lot of surgical 3-ply masks that do not have a metal nose bridge and instead have a plastic nose wire - which is very difficult to bend and keep in shape. The masks without a metal nose bridge will be of little use to those who wear glasses.
2) Wear the glasses over the mask
Many people make the mistake of wearing glasses first and then the mask as it is very likely that the first thing to wear is eyeglasses.
But to reduce the fogging of the lenses, it is much better to wear the mask first and then the glasses, going to further squeeze the mask to the face and reducing the effect of fogging.
3) Always wash your lenses
Always washing the lenses with a special product (or at the limit of neutral soap and hot water) is not only essential to see well but also allows the lens to have an extra protective patina that prevents air from misting the lens.
You should constantly wash the lenses of your glasses to ensure the presence of this patina. A seemingly strange and inconvenient but surprisingly effective cleanser is shaving foam or, alternatively, use liquid soap. Remember to never clean the glasses with the t-shirt but to use special microfibre cloth.
4) The handkerchief
A very simple trick to prevent air from misting up the lenses is to place a folded paper tissue over the top of the goggle to further seal it and thus prevent air from escaping. This is a widely used method in Japan.
5) Alternatives to glasses
A drastic solution is to use the alternative to glasses, namely, contact lenses. Modern contact lenses can be worn without problems for many hours every day. They will eliminate the discomfort of fogged lenses. Talk to your eye doctor to find out if you can wear contact lenses as an alternative to prescription glasses!
Fogged lenses are annoying, there is no denying it, but we all have to make sacrifices now to defeat this virus very soon!