: Photo: Elizabeth Yuko
when we go outside, to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, what was once an issue for those in certain professions is now affecting the rest of the population. Before this pandemic started, I spent a year and a half wearing face masks for long periods of time while caring for my mother who was being treated for leukemia with chemotherapy and a stem cell tra nsplant. We were told that she had the immune system of an infant without any vaccines and were advised to wear masks around her. As a glasses-wearer, this posed a challenge: It’s hard getting stuff done when your glasses are fogged up all the time.
Here is how my glasses usually look like while wearing a face mask — especially when I’ve just come indoors after being outside:
This is even more of an issue for us now that we aren’t supposed to touch our faces. It’s not as if we can just take our glasses off when they fog up, wipe them, and put them back on without possibly transmitting the virus from our hands to our face. And if you’re someone who truly relies on wearing glasses all the time to see (as opposed to reading glasses or light prescriptions so you can read faraway signs), taking them off isn’t an option. So what’s the bespectacled population to do? Yesterday, for the sake of journalism, I put on my outside pants and tried some of the supposed solutions for preventing foggy glasses while wearing a face mask. Here’s what I found out.
, here’s what happens:
“The face mask directs much of the exhaled air upwards where it gets into contact with the spectacle lenses. The misting occurs from the warm water vapor content condensing on the cooler surface of the lens, and forming tiny droplets that scatter the light and reduce the ability of the lens to transmit contrast. ” Even without face masks, people who wear glasses and live in cold climates are likely used to their specs fogging up when they return indoors after being outside when it’s chilly. The same thing is basically happening here, with the added complication of your hot, moist breath wafting up towards your lenses. Along the same lines, I’ve noticed that my glasses fog up significantly more when I’m wearing a face mask outside when the temperature is lower. In fact, it was 81 degrees in New York yesterday when I started doing my test and it took some time for my glasses to fog up, whereas when I wore a mask a few days ago when it was in the 64 s, my glasses completely fogged up within seconds. Methods for preventing foggy glasses while wearing a face mask
Before I get into which methods worked best, I should mention that after initially going out on my fire escape in the afternoon and not dealing with much fog, I went out again yesterday evening when the temperature had dropped about degrees. That’s all it took: my glasses fogged up pretty much immediately after leaving my building. Though clearly this is nowhere near a solid scientific experiment and would not pass a peer. review, but I did try to use some sort of methodology. When I tried each de-fogging method, I walked one block in order to make sure that I was recreating the typical conditions when my glasses fog up (outdoors and on the move). I also used hand sanitizer every time I put on or took off my mask. Also, I should note that I was only working with the supplies I had in my apartment, so I did not have any anti-fog spray
. I did use and have luck with it previously, and sure I could order some online, but wanted to see what other options were out there. I was using a reusable cloth mask I had purchased on Etsy. Here are the results of my experiment. 
Tissue paper This video from Japan shows a person folding up a piece of tissue paper into a small rectangle and then placing it at the top of their mask. The idea here is to add another layer to the mask at the top (where the warm, moist air escapes) to absorb the moisture. After rooting through my closet, I found a gift bag with some pretty fresh-looking tissue paper still inside, and gave it a whirl. I folded it up just like they did in the video (though the video shows a disposable surgical mask and not the cloth type I used) and before I was even able to start walking the block, my glasses fogged up immediately. I tried it a few more times — with and without taping the tissue paper down — and got the same results every time: my glasses fogged up even more than they did without the tissue paper. Maybe this only works with disposable masks, or perhaps I did it wrong, but I won’t try this method again.
(Gaps in. the cheeks
I came across another method recommending making space for air to escape by creating gaps in the cheek area of the mask . Given the fact that the mask is supposed to fit snugly around your face to prevent your potentially germy breath from getting on other people, this didn’t seem like a great option, but I tried it anyway. Yes, it did work — in that my glasses didn’t fog up as I was walking — but wearing a face mask that doesn’t properly cover your face seems pretty counterproductive. The CDC says that face masks should “fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face,” and the amount I had to loosen my mask to prevent my glasses from fogging definitely didn’t leave it fitting anywhere close to smugly.
Folding the top quarter of the mask (According to Fast Company
from an office supply store could work for this if you’re making your own mask. Others have used pipe cleaners or paperclips to the same effect.
that says it works. Here’s how they describe the technique: “Immediately before wearing a face mask, wash the spectacles with soapy water and shake off the excess. Then, let the spectacles air dry or gently dry off the lenses with a soft tissue before putting them back on. Now the spectacle lenses should not mist up when the face mask is worn. ”
I went back to my apartment, washed my glasses according to those instructions, and then went back outside to see if it worked. Sadly, my hopes for this method were dashed. I mean, my glasses were definitely less foggy than they were without adding this soapy film, but my spectacle lenses did mist up. () (Flute breathing)
During my last extended period of mask-wearing, I used a breathing technique similar to playing the flute: using my lips to blow the air downward, like the video above demonstrates. It wasn’t perfect, and it took some training to remember to breathe like this while wearing a mask, but I found that it did help a lot. Full disclosure: I did play the flute in my elementary school band, and though that was a long time ago, I have retained the ability to breathe downward like this for long periods of time thanks to muscle memory. I tried this technique out again yesterday, and it was hands-down the most effective of all the methods I had tested. No, my glasses weren’t 544 percent fog-free, but they only fogged up slightly around the edges and I was still able to see without a problem.
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