How to stop eye-glasses fogging up when wearing a face mask

FILE PHOTO Picture Courtney Africa/African News Agency(ANA)

FILE PHOTO Picture Courtney Africa/African News Agency(ANA)

Published Apr 21, 2020

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DURBAN - Wearing a face mask in public could soon become the new normal. However for some this will leave them with irritating side effect - foggy glasses .

When exhaling with a face mask on, the hot air coming from your mouth is pushed up and inconveniently onto the lenses of those who wear glasses. Other solutions are effective, though involve tinkering with the face mask or using potentially irritating chemicals.

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.

Here are some other ways to keep your glasses from fogging up while wearing a face mask or covering:

Folding down the top quarter of the mask to increase the distance between the covering and your glasses.

Putting a folded tissue on the bridge of your nose to absorb some of your breath.

A tighter seal on the top of the mask, like from a nose clip can help reduce the phenomenon

Buy a mask that moulds to your nose, masks that have a flexible wire allow you to mould it around the bridge of your nose, blocking the warm exhaled air from your mouth.

If these DIY methods are too much work for you, there are also commercial anti-fog sprays you can purchase, like the ones used for swimmers' or divers' goggles.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize also recommends that South Africans start wearing cloth masks to help limit the spread of Covid-19.

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