Spectacles, Face Masks and Foggy Lenses

The science behind why our glasses fog when we wear a mask is fairly simple. As we wear our masks, warm breath escapes from the top of the mask and lands on the cooler lenses of our glasses. When that happens, it creates condensation, or fog. You might've noticed a similar effect when wearing glasses with a scarf or balacalava in the winter, or when opening a hot oven door in a cooler kitchen.

The good news is that this problem is not new. At H Dickinson & Co we have found several different tips and techniques which may be beneficial to the mask wearing spectacle wearer.

1. Improve the fit of your mask. Many medical masks feature a bendable metal strip that allows the wearer to mold the mask to their nose and cheeks. But you don't need a surgical mask to achieve a good fit. If you're making a homemade mask we recommend sewing a pipe cleaner or twist tie into the top of your mask. That way, you'll be able to fit the mask to your face more effectively. You'll also want to adjust your mask's straps or ear loops. When the mask fits properly, most of your breath should go through it, not out the top or sides.

2. Pull your mask up. A simple way to decrease the amount of fog on your specs is to pull your mask higher on your face and use the weight of your glasses on top of the mask to block the flow of air.

3. Optimise the frame fitting. Place "your glasses to rest slightly over the mask to reduce the amount of warm air flow" that fogs up your lenses. If you're finding that your glasses aren't sitting quite right, it may be time to see our Dispensing Optician who can adjust your frames for a comfortably snug fit.

4. Consider using Zeiss Anti-Fog Wipes. These have been found to be particularly effective and are manufactured by Zeiss to be used in conjunction with their lens coatings. The use of soaps and other surfactant cleaners is not advisable as some can be harmful particularly to coated lenses