How to stop your glasses fogging up with a face mask
With the introduction of face coverings last year, those of us who wear spectacles soon realised that face masks and glasses were far from a match made in heaven. Not surprisingly, since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been inundated with customers asking us how to stop their glasses from fogging up. If only we had a pound for every time we were asked that question!
As you can imagine there has been a lot of debate over the best way to reduce the issue of fogging and a lot of lens manufacturing companies have invested in researching and developing optical lenses specifically to wear with a mask. Over the last ten or so months, we have conducted our own research, which involved trialling different products on the market for both practicality and value for money.
We started stocking anti-fog lens wipes by OptiPlus. Whilst they worked well, we were always conscious of the environmental impact of disposable wipes. So we have now switched to an environmentally friendly anti-fog cloth.
Our anti-fog cloths are reusable and come in a resealable pouch, so it’s easy to pop the cloth in a bag or pocket and just reuse as and when you need it. The cloths are designed to be used on both the inner and outer sides of the lenses. Simply wipe the surfaces of the lenses for about twenty seconds, pop the cloth into the pouch and you’re good to go. Don’t forget to make sure the lenses are clean before you use the anti-fog cloth.
Once used the fogging is vastly reduced, but you do need to remember to keep using the cloth every day or as the fog starts to build up again, as the effectiveness is dependent on how much you wear your glasses and also how often you ‘top up’ with the anti-fog cloth.
The anti-fog cloths last between 6-8 weeks and cost £8.50. Not only are they better value for money than single-use throw-away wipes, they are also better for the environment.
Top tips to prevent foggy glasses
There are other things you can do to help reduce the amount of fogging you experience whilst wearing your glasses. First of all, you need to make sure your face mask fits properly because the position of the mask will help stem the flow of warm air reaching your lenses. The key here is to make the mask as tight as you can around the bridge of your nose.
Tucking your glasses over the top of your mask will ensure you get a tight seal around your nose. It’s best to wear a face mask with a nose wire. Alternatively, some people use a bread bag tie and sew it into their mask to help hold the mask firmly around the nose.
We’ve also found that if you keep your mask on when moving between different temperatures it helps regulate the temperature within the mask and reduces fogging. But the best solution is to use an anti-fog cloth.
As we work our way through the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, we hope it won’t be too long before we can start to enjoy a more normal and sociable lifestyle again. However, as we slowly return to more familiar and favourable routines, it’s likely the wearing of face masks in certain environments will stay with us all for quite some time. In particular, during the winter flu months, we can see it becoming the new normal. But thankfully we no longer need to put up with the inconvenience of foggy glasses when we’re out doing our shopping or grabbing that takeaway coffee and cake.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you would like to know more about our anti-fog cloths, or anything else optical-related. You can get in touch by calling 01858 433577 or by email hello@respectaclecompany.co.uk
