- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Enough with they weird nerdy talk.
So just how do you avoid fogging up your glass?
(heart beating)
While face masks are essential
for slowing the spread of COVID-19,
if you wear glasses, you've probably been bothered by
the latest nuisance to enter the fight against coronavirus:
mask-induced, foggy lenses.
I know, I know, I know.
Mask wearing keeps bringing up a plethora of inconveniences
to our regular daily routine.
The constant rewashing of masks, et cetera, et cetera.
But the more diligent we are with wearing face coverings,
the faster we can put an end to the coronavirus pandemic.
And let's not fret.
Today I'm going to share some tips
on how you can put an end to this annoying phenomenon
of fogging glasses when wearing a mask.
Let's first go over why
your lenses are fogging up in the first place.
With the Center for Disease Control and Prevention,
and the World Health Organization
now recommending the wearing a face masks
to curb the spread of COVID-19,
fogged up glasses are a problem
affecting a large chunk of the population.
What can you do about fogged up glasses?
We have compiled seven tips for lifting the fog
from your glasses when you're wearing a mask.
But first, let's go over why your lenses
are fogged up in the first place.
Why are my glasses foggy?
Body heat and airflow lead to foggy lenses.
When you're wearing a mask,
you repeatedly breathe out warm air.
This warm air then sneaks out at the top of your mask,
causing that annoying steam on your glasses.
Just by the way, in which a mask sits on your face,
the mask directs the exhaled air upward.
The fogging of your 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.
The droplets form because of the inherent
surface tension between the water molecules.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Enough with a weird nerdy talk.
So just how do you avoid fogging up your glasses?
Now that you know why your lenses get fogged up,
let's dive into some ways in which
this annoying fog phenomenon can be avoided
when wearing your glasses and a mask at the same time.
Number one, wash your lenses with soapy water.
Wash your eyeglasses with soapy water,
and gently shake off the excess water.
Then let the glasses dry out in the air,
upside down to avoid scratching the lenses,
or gently dry your lenses with a clean microfiber cloth.
All you need is a pea-size amount of
basic lotion-free dish soap.
Avoid using baby soap, baby shampoo,
fancy meadow smelling hand soap, or any other
type of soap that you might have laying around your house.
Dish soap only. Got it?
Fun fact: don't use a towel
or any other type of cloth to dry your glasses.
Not only will you risk scratching your lenses,
but most of us use dryer sheets or some other
type of fabric softener in our laundry
that will only transfer onto the surface of your lenses,
leaving behind a nasty film.
Cleaning lenses with soapy water leaves a thin film
that reduces inherent surface tension,
and causes the water molecules that might form
to be transparent to the naked eye.
Number two, seal your mask with tape.
Day by day I'm finding more uses for tape
than I've ever had before.
Who would have thought?
A common practice myself and other doctors in the ER
have been practicing to avoid our glasses fogging up
is sticking a piece of double-sided tape
across the bridge of our nose before placing on the mask.
If you place the double-sided tape between the inside
of the mask and the bridge of your nose,
it will create a better seal
so that moisture won't evaporate upwards out of your mask.
For an extra preventative measure,
you can even place a piece of tape
on the outside of your mask, on the bridge of your nose.
Number three, make sure the mask fits well.
You want to make sure that you have a face mask
that is formed around the bridge of your nose.
The more conformed the mask is
around the bridge of your nose,
the less hot air will end up hitting the lenses.
If you're experiencing a great deal of
fog on your glasses while wearing a mask,
chances are that you're wearing the mask wrong,
or not wearing it properly.
For a better fit, seek out a mask
that has moldable pieces around the nose,
such as a surgical mask,
or mask that comes with adjustable straps.
However, if you've created your own mask,
create a seal around the nose with inserting
a moldable item into the upper part of the mask.
This could be a paperclip, a pipe cleaner, or a twist tie.
If the mask is fitting well, it will dramatically
help prevent the hot air from reaching your glasses.
Number four, adjust your glasses.
Another reason you might be experiencing a lot of fog while
wearing a mask is because your glasses need to be adjusted.
For example, the nose pads of your glasses can be adjusted
so the frames sit slightly further away from your face.
This will allow the hot air to escape
instead of it being trapped
between your face and the lenses of your glasses.
However, I recommend that you do not do this yourself,
and seek out the expertise of an optometrist
to make any potential adjustments to your glasses.
Altering your glasses in any way
might slightly change your vision,
and cause more problems further down the line.
Number five, try defogging products.
Applying an over the counter anti-fogging spray, wax,
or gel to your lenses before putting on your glasses.
These products often quickly disperse any tiny fog droplets
when you're wearing your mask.
Some work better than others, so test a few out
to see which one works best for you.
However, don't go using Armor All Glass Wipes,
or any other anti-fogging product
that is not intended for the use for eyeglasses only.
You may think that glass cleaner is glass cleaner,
but glass cleaner for your car is going to have
a much higher concentration of chemicals,
and I can almost guarantee you will
ruin your prescription lenses.
Number six, check out anti-fog lenses.
This probably won't fix your foggy lenses right now,
but you might want to consider
buying lenses with an anti-fog coating.
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.
I know, I know, I know.
Mask wearing keeps bringing up a plethora
of inconveniences to our regular daily routine.
The constant rewashing, mask-ne, ugh.
If you're experiencing random breakouts,
it's probably mask-induced acne.
Click here to watch it.
But the more diligent we are with wearing a mask,
the faster we can put an end to the coronavirus pandemic.
All right, that's been a short coronavirus conversation
with me, Dr. Wagner.
Let me know in the comments if you have any other
medical questions that you'd like me to answer,
and as always, please make sure you hit the subscribe button
and turn your bell notifications on.
Thank you so much for watching, and stay health, my friends.