A. Thank you for wearing a mask! This is such a key step in preventing transmission.
We also appreciate that it’s not always easy to wear a mask, especially if you wear glasses. They often fog up!
Why? Well, in general, when warm air hits cool surfaces, there’s condensation. When you are wearing a mask, your warm breath sneaks up through the top of the mask and hits the colder surface of your lenses, creating condensation.
Here’s what you can do to prevent/reduce this irritating fog.
1.) TIGHTEN YOUR MASK FIT: If the seal across the top of your mask is not tight, your breath will more easily escape through the top of the mask. Select a mask with a nose bridge that will help with the snugness across the top. You can also use double-sided tape across your nose to help secure the fit.
2.) WASH YOUR GLASSES WITH SOAPY WATER OR USE A DEFOGGING PRODUCT: After you wash your glasses with soapy water, let them air dry, or gently wipe them with a clean microfiber cloth. The remnant soap leaves a thin layer that serves as a fog barrier. Other defogging wipes and sprays are also available. We recommend that you talk with your optician before applying any product to your glasses. (For example, don’t use baby shampoo, shaving cream, toothpaste, or defogging products designed for cars.)
3.) PLACE YOUR GLASSES ON TOP OF THE MASK: By resting your glasses on the top of the fabric of the mask, you help secure the seal reducing air flow up toward your eyes. Or adjust your glasses so they sit a little further from your face.
4.) BREATHE DOWN: If you hold your upper lip out over your lower lip and breath downwards, this will help direct air away from the top of the mask to prevent your glasses fogging. It’s a little awkward, but it’s an option in a pinch.
POSSIBLE GLASSES PROTECTION?
There’s recent data from Suizhou, China indicating that people who regularly wear glasses were less likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19. Out of 276 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, only 6% of them wore glasses for 8 or more hours a day. This is much smaller than what one would expect from the region where 30% of similarly aged people wear glasses. While this study’s sample size is small and not conclusive, one biologically plausible reason that those who wear glasses were better protected than those who don’t is that the lenses protect against exposure to the virus through respiratory droplets or aerosol transmission.
If you don’t typically wear glasses, you can always throw on sunglasses or a face shield (on top of your mask). Those Nerdy Girls support adding layers of protection.
Love, Those Nerdy Girls
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