5 Tips to Prevent Foggy Glasses

Isn’t this a nightmare? For spectacle wearers, the inescapable annoyance of glasses lenses fogging up whilst wearing a face mask causes daily frustration. Masking up has become a part of our daily lives and while it may be tempting to just simply not wear one to avoid getting foggy glasses, the following tips may make it more bearable.

The issue of fogginess arises from condensation. When we exhale, the warm air from our breath rises up and gathers on our cooler spectacle lenses, making them foggy. Science!

5 tricks to defog glasses

1. Invest in a face mask that provides a complete seal around your nose bridge. This prevents  the warm air that leaves your nostrils from rising up and steaming up your glasses. Try to find a face covering that allows you to secure it tightly enough, that there are no gaps between the covering, and that it comes with an adjustable nose bridge that could help shape the mask to your face.
2. Anti-fog products like lens sprays and cloths coat your spectacle lenses, making them resistant to fog from warm/moist breath. These are usually effective for a certain amount of uses (i.e. until the chemical in the cloth runs out).
3. Using medical tape gently applied along the top of your mask will secure it in place and stop warm breath escaping upwards.
4. Tighten your covering by crossing the ear bands (like making an “x”) to create a closer fit against your face.
5. Consider contact lenses when you’re out and about. These simply cannot fog up!

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What NOT to do to prevent foggy glasses

The internet can be wonderful place for lifehacks (and cat photos), but the following applications should be avoided when it comes to your glasses lenses that you paid good money for.

1. Toothpaste - a lot of toothpastes on the market have an abrasive agent that could scratch your glasses.
2. Spit - while a lot of swimmers and divers use this technique for their goggles, it's just not a good idea to do this during a pandemic.
3. Vinegar - this all time favourite cleaning product is used around the house to cut through grease and grime and does so with its high acidity solution. Having said that, applying it to your glasses can damage the coatings like its blue light protection.