Mask hacks: How to keep glasses fog-free

Check out some of the products available for keeping glasses clear when wearing a face mask

More than half of the Irish population wear spectacles. Picture: iStock

The world has been anything but clear for the past year. However, for those who wear glasses, the horizon has been even foggier. 

Our bespectacled citizens have particularly been struggling with mask-wearing during the pandemic and it's not because of a lack of will.

Whenever your mouth is blocked by a face mask, your breath is directed upward rather than forward. When the warm breath condenses on glass, it forms microdroplets, the same way your breath did against the car window when you were a kid.

We all know the feeling. You try to do your bit and wear your mask, only to walk into the shop and have the produce section fade further from view with each breath, as quickly as the blasting swoosh from an oven door.

A study conducted by Bayer a few years ago found that 56% of the Irish population wore glasses, with more recent statistics from Statista showing some European countries to have percentages as high as 70%.

With a 242% increase in online searches about glass defogging in the past year, it's safe to say a lot of people are suffering.

There is no perfect solution for now, with the fogging arising from a mixture of factors, like mask type, glass type, and the facial shape of the person affected.

However, there are some things you can do to try to ease the condensation burden.

Make sure your mask fits

This might be stating the obvious but it really does help. The powers that be say that our masks should fit snugly without gaps at the sides of the face and be secured around the ears, or the back of the head.

Buying an adjustable mask that can be tightened to suit your face shape might help, as should purchasing a mask with a wire nose bridge you can secure to block some of that travelling air. 

Look for masks that have words like "contoured" in the description. Some websites, such as Etsy and Amazon, also have speciality masks available to fit around glasses.

If you’re in a pinch, you can tie a knot in the strings of a disposable mask.

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According to WebMD, a strip of tape along the top of your mask might also be a solution.

"As an eye surgeon, for years I have been placing a strip of tape along the top of my surgical mask in the operating room to prevent my glasses or microscope from fogging. I have now extended this practice to my patients, and often put a strip of tape along the top of their mask to prevent my lenses from fogging during the eye exam," Dr Roni Levin, a surgeon and assistant professor of ophthalmology and paediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine told the medical website.

She also recommends resting your glasses over your mask and rinsing glasses with warm soapy water or a pH-balanced defogging solution and leaving them air dry before wearing.

Defogging sprays

Sprays are widely available from pharmacies and opticians. Picture: iStock

Tonnes of ads have been popping up everywhere for magic spray solutions to stop glasses fogging. People have mixed opinions about how long the solutions work for, but since many of them can be delivered to your door for under €15, they're worth a try if you're really suffering.

You can buy defogging sprays from any opticians, such as Crowley’s Opticians in Cork or online shops such as Opticalrooms.ie, or from pharmacies, such as Inish Pharmacy who are offering delivery. 

Wipes

Special defogging wipes are a similar solution and are a little bit cheaper, with Boots offering a €7.99 reusable wipe[/url] that claims to be good for up to 1000 uses and will block fog for 48 hours.

McCabes pharmacy is selling a 30 pack of defogging wipes for €9.95.

Gels

You can also try out a defogging gel, which works similarly to sprays. Visionexpress.ie has been quickly selling this gel, which is good for up to 50 uses and also works on sunglasses and ski goggles, for €8.