# Glasses fog up due to face mask **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 28, 2020, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-fog-up-due-to-face-mask/852725 "2020-04-28T13:07:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-fog-up-due-to-face-mask/852725/21 "2020-04-29T17:30:57Z")
Flute Breathing has been the best method for me. Taping my face leaves it raw and irritated. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-fog-up-due-to-face-mask/852725/22 "2020-04-29T17:50:58Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > Flute Breathing has been the best method for me. Taping my face leaves it raw and irritated. What are you taping it with? Medical paper tape is the right thing. You should be able to buy it from any pharmacy. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-fog-up-due-to-face-mask/852725/23 "2020-04-29T18:44:48Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Googling, I found this, which I guess skiers use on goggles: [https://ekusa.com/product/cat-crap/](https://ekusa.com/product/cat-crap/) This stuff got some pretty bad reviews on Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-fog-up-due-to-face-mask/852725/24 "2020-04-29T21:46:30Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > 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. Exactly. I can’t do anything without my glasses. I can’t get out of bed without my glasses (in fact, my daughter, when she was about five, would wake me up by saying “put on your glasses, daddy” – she knew the deal). So I wear them with a mask. And if they’re fogging up, I know I haven’t got a good seal, and I adjust accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-fog-up-due-to-face-mask/852725/25 "2020-04-29T23:55:04Z")
Well, our return-to-work rules will require the mask, of course, but also safety glasses with side-shields. I’ve been using mine (thankfully I have prescription safety glasses) and they fog up rather quickly. My normal glasses have enough circulation not to fog up, though. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-fog-up-due-to-face-mask/852725/26 "2020-04-30T03:17:46Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > 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/](https://ekusa.com/product/cat-crap/) I clean my bathroom mirror with shaving cream for this purpose. I wouldn’t use isopropyl alcohol on a plastic lens. I try to get the mask under my glasses. the glasses act to seal the mask against my nose. The effectiveness depends on the type of frames you have. I haven’t tried it but I thought about using a thin bit of duct tape. say 1/2" X 3". ---
**Author:** ![Dsorgnzd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Dsorgnzd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dsorgnzd)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-fog-up-due-to-face-mask/852725/27 "2020-04-30T03:45:04Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > 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. You can make a pretty good version with a beer can and a pair of tin snips. Just fold the edges over to prevent cutting the mask and/or your fingers. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-fog-up-due-to-face-mask/852725/28 "2020-04-30T04:52:49Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > 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/](https://ekusa.com/product/cat-crap/) Isopropyl alcohol is the solvent in Rain-X. It won’t help with fogged lenses. Silicone is what makes Rain-X do what it does. ---
**Author:** ![MaverocK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@MaverocK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaverocK)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-fog-up-due-to-face-mask/852725/29 "2020-04-30T06:36:50Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > 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 am a developer and currently student. I don’t need to wear the mask all the time. For the time being, I have to wear it in supermarkets and grocery stores. > [@Bullitt](#): > > 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**? I guess it’d still fog up with a bandana. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-fog-up-due-to-face-mask/852725/30 "2020-05-01T14:00:20Z")
I wonder how much of the problem is dependent on the glasses. How do they fit? How thick are they? How much do they touch the face and the mask? My glasses have lenses that are very think and rest on my cheekbones. Nosepads don’t lift them off my face much, but it’s better than molded plastic that keeps the frames firmly in contact with my face. I have to wear them so close to my eyes that I can’t wear mascara–my lashes leave stripes on the lenses. They would be in direct contact with any mask, so vapor from breathing would wick up the mask to the glasses. I wear contacts and there’s no mandate to wear masks here, so it’s not a problem for me, but it might be an issue for others. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-fog-up-due-to-face-mask/852725/31 "2020-05-01T15:15:13Z")
> [@CelticKnot](#): > > I wonder how much of the problem is dependent on the glasses. How do they fit? How thick are they? How much do they touch the face and the mask? > > My glasses have lenses that are very think and rest on my cheekbones. Nosepads don’t lift them off my face much, but it’s better than molded plastic that keeps the frames firmly in contact with my face. I have to wear them so close to my eyes that I can’t wear mascara–my lashes leave stripes on the lenses. They would be in direct contact with any mask, so vapor from breathing would wick up the mask to the glasses. > > I wear contacts and there’s no mandate to wear masks here, so it’s not a problem for me, but it might be an issue for others. I think you have it backwards. Having the bottom of the glasses resting on the top of the mask helps hold the top of the mask close to the face, and avoids some “warm damp air leaks up” issues. I say that from personal experience. (But the band of nylon stocking thing is magic – I highly recommend it. It really helps n informal fabric mask work as a mask.) ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-fog-up-due-to-face-mask/852725/32 "2020-05-01T15:35:27Z")
They had [this advice](https://www.nytimes.com/article/glasses-fog-wearing-mask-coronavirus.html) in the NY Times the other day. I didn’t find it helpful, but here it is anyhow. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-fog-up-due-to-face-mask/852725/33 "2020-05-01T23:38:56Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I think you have it backwards. Having the bottom of the glasses resting on the top of the mask helps hold the top of the mask close to the face, and avoids some “warm damp air leaks up” issues. I say that from personal experience. > > (But the band of nylon stocking thing is magic – I highly recommend it. It really helps n informal fabric mask work as a mask.) Not any time I have ever tried it, either with the horrible glasses or sunglasses. I have asthma, so I wore some kind of mask, either hardware store dust mask or silk, when I did yard work. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-fog-up-due-to-face-mask/852725.md?page=1)