Wearing a mask seems to have become part of our wardrobe. In fact, I have a patient who makes designer suits and he is adding designer masks to his production for professional business attire. Masks as a fashion statement, who would have known.

Usually, when I am at work I use glasses to filter blue light when using the computer (click here to learn more about blue light). Lately, with a mask on, wearing my glasses has become difficult due to fogging of the lenses. So what can we do about our glasses fogging up?

Here are a few tips that I have found helpful to prevent my glasses from fogging up:

1. Pull your glasses farther from your face. I have found that pulling my glasses slightly out on my nose on top of the mask can help. 

2. Wash your lenses in soapy water, shake off the excess water, allow to lightly air dry then wipe with a microfiber cloth. This method was documented in The Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England article titled “A simple method to prevent spectacle lenses misting up on wearing a face mask.” I have tried this and it has helped. 
3. Make sure your mask fits snug against the bridge of your nose. If the moist air from our breath escapes from the top of our mask it can lead to our lenses fogging up. Wearing a mask with a tight seal on our nose can help to prevent the air from escaping. I have even heard of people using double-sided tape on the bridge of their nose to hold down the mask. However, anytime you take your mask off the tape would become ineffective as well as the fact that having tape on your nose does not sound very comfortable. 

If you are making your own mask, using some sort of pliable metal like a pipe cleaner at the bridge of the nose can help to mould the mask to your face.  

4. Use anti-fog sprays. Most sprays have to be applied frequently in order to work. So make sure to bring the anti-fog spray with you and apply as needed. 
5. Anti-fog lens coatings. Lens coatings can be applied to the lenses in a lab from an optical shop, one such coating is called Opticoat by Essilor. After discussing these coatings with several opticians, the verdict seems that anti-fog sprays work better than purchasing new lenses with an anti-fog coating. 
6. Consciously breathing downward, like playing the flute has also been reported to help. This is one technique I have not tried. Just breathing in a mask is hard enough, remembering which direction to breath sounds like a hassle. But feel free to try it out. 
7. Wearing a mask with a valve can help reduce fogging of your lenses because it allows your exhaled air to escape; however, these type of masks only protect the wearer. The valve does not filter your exhaled air putting others nearby at risk.
   

When it comes to protecting others in this time of social distancing it is best to NOT use a mask with a valve. The city of San Francisco put out a health order stating that a mask with a one-way valve is not considered a proper face covering to protect from COVID-19. (This one surprised me, I did not realize that wearing these masks do not protect anyone around me).

Healthline put out a great article on the dangers of wearing an N95 mask with a valve.

Masks with a valve were designed for construction workers to protect themselves from harmful inhalants but not to prevent them from infecting others.

The Bottom Line: 

I’m sure I’m not alone in saying, “I can’t wait until we can work without masks on all the time,” but for now we are doing what needs to be done during the COVID-19 pandemic. The annoyance of glasses fogging up is a real concern. Wearing a snug-fitting mask, pulling your glasses farther away and using anti-fog sprays seem to be the best solution.