The masks are mandatory in where I live (Germany - Lower Saxony) because of COVID-19 and I have to wear it in public transport and supermarkets. I can’t see around properly because they fog up all the time (my glasses get covered with a thin layer of liquid due to my breathe).
How do you deal with it? Are they any good solutions for this that you have heard or know of?
I don’t want to wear contact lenses because they are awkward to wear.
I try to not wear my mask and my glasses at the same time.
Walking around at work, mask on, glasses up. In the car, mask down, glasses on.
I am blind without my glasses.
Foggy glasses means your breath is escaping up, between your face and the mask, rather than going through the mask. I deal with it by trying to keep the top of the mask close to my face. Surgical masks have a nice metal strip to facilitate that. I’ve been adding a “twistie” to fabric masks to similarly shape the top of the mask.
Another trick to hold the mask tight to your face is to take a loop of nylon stocking (I cut about 20cm from the top of a leg) and slip it over the mask and the back of your head. This dramatically increases the efficacy of the mask, both in my experience (I tried it the other day) and according to this article:
It’s a sign that the mask is a bad fit and/or not permeable enough. Which, unfortunately is the case for the vast majority of masks, but not everyone is wearing a detector on their faces.
For the ideal mask, no air should escape around the edges. That’s really hard to achieve, but a nose wire helps and is particularly effective at preventing the specific escaping air that fogs up glasses.
Still, it’s only effective if you have the right mask for your face. The strings or elastics need to tighten the nose wire against your nose and not pull it out of place over time.
And you might need a mask with a loser weave.
I went out grocery shopping yesterday for the first time with my new mask. I had put an un-bent paperclip in the nose. I could tell it stopped the airflow when I adjusted it, but the thing kept slipping so I need to do more work. I had only secured the paperclip on its ends and not in the middle. Now I’m going to try to get a pipe cleaner and tack it in with needle and thread. If I can’t find that, I’ll work more with the paperclip.
The flat metal that’s found in medical grade masks is probably best for fit. I can’t think of anything I have around the house that I could source to mimic it.
I did find a set of these Lock Laces in my drawer and found them to be an EXCELLENT way to keep my mask on and tight. Bungee cord with a locking adjuster, that goes around your head not your ears. I highly recommend them for anyone looking for a mask solution!
A thin wire (like the twist tie around a loaf of bread) helps form a peak over your nose.
If the mask is thick, make sure there’s some way for air to go out the sides (across your cheeks) instead of upward toward your eyes. Yes, yes, that partially defeats the purpose of a mask … but the germ-laden droplets still get trapped in the cloth, or at least are forced sideways instead of directly towards the person you’re talking with.
For the love of Og, people, stop suggesting contacts, or taking off our glasses. These are NOT OPTIONS for many folks.
I can’t read the “E” at the top of the chart. (I know it’s an “E” because it’s always an “E” but I can’t see it.) You don’t want me counting your change money back to you without glasses. You really don’t want me driving.
You are, however, quite welcome to pay for my uninsured ass to get an eye dr. visit and to buy me contact lenses. Until then, I shall continue to do the best I can with what I’ve got.
A thin wire (like the twist tie around a loaf of bread) helps form a peak over your nose.
If the mask is thick, make sure there’s some way for air to go out the sides (across your cheeks) instead of upward toward your eyes. Yes, yes, that partially defeats the purpose of a mask … but the germ-laden droplets still get trapped in the cloth, or at least are forced sideways instead of directly towards the person you’re talking with.
For the love of Og, people, stop suggesting contacts, or taking off our glasses. These are NOT OPTIONS for many folks.
I can’t read the “E” at the top of the chart. (I know it’s an “E” because it’s always an “E” but I can’t see it.) You don’t want me counting your change money back to you without glasses. You really don’t want me driving.
You are, however, quite welcome to pay for my uninsured ass to get an eye dr. visit and to buy me contact lenses. Until then, I shall continue to do the best I can with what I’ve got.
Right. I wear glasses. I will wear glasses as long as I am physically able to. I tried contacts briefly, and my eyes got dry and uncomfortable. And you know what, glasses provide some tiny measure of protection against someone sneezing into my eyes.
Nonetheless, I find I can wear masks for extended periods without my glasses fogging up. It’s all about fitting the mask carefully, which is a good idea anyway. And I agree with purplehorseshoe that if your mask is going to leak, better it leak around the sides of your cheek (or below your chin) than into your eyes & glasses.
When I was a kid a friend of my parents, a helicopter pilot, showed me his trick for preventing glasses fogging up. Rub the lenses with a dry bar of soap, leaving a trail on each surface. Buff the lenses with the soap using a soft cloth until they are clear. Even if you breathe on them they shouldn’t fog up.
It has always worked for me. Even when I have needed to wear glasses in steamy bathrooms.
Maverock, what line of work are you in? I.e., are you around sick people, many with potentially high viral loads, and your PPE is actually there to protect you? Or are you like most of us, and your mask is a prop in this disease theater we find ourselves in, and maybe a mechanism for preventing droplet transmission by you to other people?
If the latter, do what I do, make sure it seals tightly up top, and loosely out the bottom. If the former, see your safety officer, get some masks that fit, and use a commercial defogging application to your eyewear
I worked on an effort to make improvised N95-equivalent masks using readily available office and home supply goods and we found that metal prong clips that are used on report covers (like this) worked pretty well. We actually just cut the tab off of the ends and formed it, then cold-glued it in place over the outside of the mask frame. I don’t think pipe cleaner or other formable wire will really be strong enough to remain in shape. However, realize that this is quickly going to bruise or abrade the nose and face, so if you are wearing it frequently or for long periods you might consider putting a thick bandage or piece of moleskin over the nose to protect it.
Buffing the lenses of glasses with glycerine or soap as don’t ask suggests also work. However, realize that if your glasses are getting fogged up, that is because your breath (potentially infected with virions) is escaping up through the gap, and if you block it that way it is just going to blow out in another direction, which means any aerosols are still going to escape. Masks still prevent projectile excretion of sputnum and saliva, so they are of some marginal benefit, but don’t rely on a mask to protect others (and certainly not you) from aerosolized virus. And you must wash or sanitize your hands every time you touch your face or mask (inside or out) because they are going to be covered with your exhaled breath and will become contaminated upon contact, which you will then transfer to other surfaces such as door handles, containers, et cetera. Masks are good for what they’re good for, but that is mostly to signal that you are aware of the epidemic; you should still maintain physical distance (at a minimum of 6 feet/2 meters as much as possible) to assure that you have reduced potential transfer to the lowest possible probability.
Stranger
The solution that works perfectly for me is surgical tape.
Put a strip along the top of the mask and stick it to your face and nose. It doesn’t damage the skin or the mask, and is easy to remove, or re-stick - but it sticks firmly enough to prevent fogging up.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll have to see if I can nab some from Office Max today.
You can fold up a tissue and put it across the bridge of your nose under the mask to form an extra padded barrier.
Fold a small piece of tissue and put it between your nose and the mask.
I’ve read to clean with shaving cream but haven’t tried. I also wondered about isopropyl, which I think is an active ingredient in Rain X. Googling, I found this, which I guess skiers use on goggles: https://ekusa.com/product/cat-crap/
Similarly, I’m using a piece of double-sided tape, applied to to top edge of my disposable mask. Not perfect, but it works well enough.
If you can’t get your mask to fit properly then treat your glasses:
I bought a box of 100 paper fasteners like SoaT suggested and they work great. They stick just fine with the adhesive but if I want to be able to wash the mask without replacing the nose clip, they have to be sewn in. I had my mom sew them with just a few stitches (one around the middle to hold it up, one on each end to seal the fabric) and it is fine. I’ll be able to wash and re-wear.
If any fellow bespectacled Dopers want some, send me a PM. I’ve got a lot extra. Not sure if I want to send to Germany tho, sorry **MaverocK **
I wear glasses too and have that same problem. I wear a bandana instead of a mask — no foggy eyeglasses. Is that an option for you, MaverocK?