What is the best way to stop my glasses fogging up when I wear a mask?

What is the best way to stop my glasses fogging up when I wear a mask?

As autumn approaches and as temperatures continue to drop, coupled with revised government guidance, the wearing of face masks has now become law in many public places in the UK, such as on public transport, in shops and supermarkets and in beauty salons.

Why do glasses steam up in the first place?

For glasses wearers, the conundrum of how to stop their glasses from fogging up whilst wearing a mask and staying safe is an ongoing battle. Add into the mix the change in temperatures between indoors and outdoors, and this can be a recipe for disaster. If you are moving between street and shop, or on and off public transport, going from a cold environment into a hotter one you will often find that your warm breath condenses on the lenses and creates them to steam up.

The wearing of a mask creates an added dimension and a mask that fits loosely around the top of your nose and cheeks effectively creates a funnel a warm breath directly behind your lenses causing them to fog up repeatedly.

What is the best type of mask to use to stop my glasses from steaming up?

We have been conducting some tests at UK Meds HQ to see which the best type of mask is to use to prevent your glasses from steaming up. Of course, we all have different face shapes and so it is about finding a mask style that works best for you.

As mentioned earlier, the masks that fit a little more securely around the bridge of the nose seem to work best for specs wearers, as they stop the warm breath from rising upwards and fogging up your glasses. We have found that the Type IIR medical masks work best as they have an inbuilt small flexible metal strip built into the uppermost edge of the mask that allows the wearer to mould the mask to fit their nose.

These 3-ply surgical face masks are used to prevent infected droplets from entering the respiratory system of either the healthcare professional or the patient.

Type IIR masks are a European standard and the R means that they are fluid resistant. This kind of mask offers further protection than a standard mask as they block potentially infected droplets from entering the respiratory system. 

In order to get the right fit, follow this simple seven-step process to guarantee clear lenses:

1. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

2. Make sure that the lenses of your glasses are clean. Wash them with soapy water and allow them to air dry rather than drying with a towel. It is thought that the soap forms a barrier on the surface of the lenses that stops the water molecules from condensing on the glasses and creating fog.

3. Carefully remove the type IIR medical mask from the packaging, taking care not to touch the fabric too much.

4. Position the mask over the nose and mouth, ensuring the ear loops are secure and fit comfortably around the ears.

5. Pinch the bendable metal strip at the top of the nose ensuring that the top of the mask fits snuggly around the top of your nose.

6. Smooth down the top edge of the mask along the cheekbones to create a good fit.

7. Now put your glasses back on ensuring that they sit over the top of the mask and voila steamy specs should be a thing of the past!