We all became acutely aware of our patience levels the past few years and one massive contributing factor: dealing with face mask issues.
Whether you broke out in a rash of pimples (aka maskne) or continually removed your glasses to remove fog, you learned really quickly that wearing a face mask comes with its own set of unique challenges.
Having your glasses fog while wearing a mask is annoying, and if you’re struggling to find a way to keep your mask and your glasses on, we’re here to help. The team at Stoggles has a few ways to hack the system so you can keep your cool with condensation.
Fast Mask Fog Facts
If you can say that three times fast with a mask and glasses, you’re probably well on your way to fogging up.
Fogging happens because of simple science. Hot air hits the cold surface of your glasses, and condensation forms. The moisture in the air turns to liquid on the surface of your glasses and forms droplets. The droplets then need to be removed.
Why Do Face Masks Fog?
Wearing a face mask creates the perfect storm scenario for glasses to fog repeatedly. Unless you’re working in a climate-controlled 98.6-degree environment, the surface of your glasses is likely going to be colder than your own hot breath.
The air from your lungs leaves your mouth or nostrils, hits your mask, and is diverted directly up to your eyeglasses like a flight that never reaches its original destination. Fogging or Fargo, either way, it’s not what you expected.
Why It Matters
Besides the fact that fogging glasses are annoying, they present a really serious safety issue, especially when you’re wearing safety glasses.
When you wear safety glasses and remove them to wipe down fog, you place your eyes at risk of the debris or danger the glasses were protecting them from. Not to mention, you have to stop what you’re doing and focus on something else.
That distraction could lead to a mistake or accident that could threaten your vision. Vision loss by weed wacker? Not a battle story you want to have to repeat.
Are Accidents Common?
It’s easy to armchair quarterback when someone else gets an eye injury, but the fact is, eye injuries are more common than you think. Don’t believe us?
Take a look at these stats:
- There are more than 2.5 million eye injuries every year in the United States.
- Of those yearly injuries, about 533% occur at home.
- One in four at-home eye injuries results from recreational activities, like sports or play.
- 25% of at-home eye injuries involve the use of a power tool. (Human error + power tools ≠ power couple.)
The most likely place you’ll sustain an eye injury at home? The yard or garden… which makes your HOA-approved St. Augustine look a little more threatening.
At work, the CDC reports that there are approximately 2,000 eye injuries sustained on the job each day. These injuries often result in a trip to the ER and time missed from work. Everyone needs a day off, but not at the expense of your vision.
Who Is At-Risk?
People who wear masks, obviously, but it’s not just dental hygienists and doctors. Wearing a mask and safety glasses while you do yard work or while you clean with lung-burning chemicals also lumps you into the at-risk group.
Don’t worry: We’ve got you covered.
Here are six tips to keep your glasses from fogging when you mask up:
Six Tips To Avoid Mask Fog
Preventing condensation on your glasses from your mouth exhaust might seem impossible, but if you’re up for the challenge (or just insanely done wiping your glasses with the edge of your shirt), we’ve got some simple solutions.
1. Glycerin
It’s not just a beloved make-out song from the nineties. Glycerin in soap and shaving cream can create a thin film on your glasses that can prevent fogging. To try this method, apply a small drop of either soap or shaving cream to the exterior lens of your glasses and gently rub it in. Rinse with water and let your glasses air dry.
This isn’t a permanent fix in any capacity, but it can help you avoid foggy glasses for a few hours. It also works in a pinch if you don’t have another solution handy.
2. The Tissue Trick
While it’s not going to win any awards for comfort, this solution does help decrease the amount of fog on your glasses while you’re wearing a face mask.
This works best if you have a mask that doesn’t fit your face as well as it should. Take a single tissue and place it between your mouth and your mask. The tissue will act as a semi-barrier that can trap your breath before it escapes the top of your mask and fogs your glasses.
However, we super want to note that we don’t recommend this in the slightest. It’s easy for that tissue to become a bacterial breeding ground. This basically defeats the whole purpose of a face mask in the first place.
3. Bridge the Gap
Air escapes your mask through the area that falls across the apples of your cheeks. If your mask doesn’t fit closely to your cheeks, you’ll experience more fog.
Many face masks are fitted with a bendable metal strip that can be tightened across the bridge of the nose. Pinching this adjustment together can position the mask closer to your cheeks, making it harder for air to escape. Now, the air is forced outward to your ears or by your chin, far away from your specs.
If you don't have an adjustable mask, try making yours adjustable. Tape, pipe cleaners, and even bandages will work to keep the mask securely fastened to your nose. Whether or not this look is aesthetically on-trend is probably a solid “no.”
4. Get the Right Fit
If your mask is gaping around your face, there’s more room for air to travel upward and outward toward your glasses. Make sure that your mask fits as closely around your nose and cheeks as possible.
Remember, if air can escape your mask, it can potentially fog your glasses.
5. Anti-Fog Wipes and Drops
Anti-fog wipes and drops work better than most at-home remedies because they contain a chemical that helps prevent fogging. By changing the surface tension, this chemical prevents water droplets from forming. Instead of rock concert-type fog, the condensation scatters into micro-particles that don’t interfere with your vision.
If your pre-treated glasses have lost some of their anti-fog potency, try treating them with anti-fog drops.
Drops and wipes will last longer than glycerin or tissues, but you'll want anti-fog coated lenses for the ultimate in anti-fog protection. However, anti-fog drops will only last for a few hours depending on the use, so you might want to keep a few extra bottles around.
6. Anti-Fog Lenses
The best solution for keeping your glasses fog-free is investing in glasses with anti-fog coating sealed onto the lenses. These glasses remain fog-free semi-permanently.
While all anti-fog lenses will eventually need to be recoated or replaced, you’ll get years of fog-free use without the hassle of soaping, wiping, or stuffing weird objects into your face mask.
At Stoggles, we understand how infuriating foggy glasses can be, so all of our safety eyewear comes pre-treated with anti-fog lenses. That way, you never have to lose your temper over water vapor.
When you’re searching for anti-fog lenses, there is one clear solution: Lenses that have been dipped in anti-fog solution rather than sprayed. Lenses sprayed with an anti-fog coating are not nearly as durable, effective, or long-lasting as the alternative. That’s why Stoggles are dipped into an anti-fog solution — they are better able to withstand fog and periodic cleanings.
What Else Can Stoggles Do?
Anti-fog lenses that don’t get steamy when your mask goes on seem powerful all on their own, but at Stoggles, we don’t stop there. Our protective eyewear keeps your eyes incredibly safe, impeccably stylish, and impeccably comfortable. Not all heroes wear capes, but they probably wear Stoggles.
Here’s what you can expect when you grab a pair of the most stylish protective eyewear on the market:
Blue Light Blocking Technology
Blue light is similar to UV light. It has a short, powerful wavelength that can travel directly to the back of the eye where the retina sits. Also, like UV light, blue light comes from the sun. The difference is that blue light also comes from a plethora of other places, like your LED television, computer, tablet, and smartphone.
Because our eyes are exposed to blue light so frequently, researchers are concerned that there might be long-term negative impacts on our vision.
The best way to avoid blue light isn’t by joining a hunter-gather role-play group and swearing off all technology forever (though that does sound kind of fun). The best way to beat blue light is by wearing blue-light blocking glasses.
Stoggles are all manufactured with blue light blocking technology built into the lens, so your eyes are protected. Whether you’re sitting in the sun or surfing the web, your eyes are protected.
UV Protection
Ever try to put your safety glasses on over your sunglasses? We’re looking at you, weekend yard warrior. Instead, opt for safety eyewear that is UV blocking. Stoggles are made from lightweight, comfortable polycarbonate, which just so happens to be naturally UV blocking.
Shatter Resistance
If you’re going to wear safety glasses, they should be shatterproof, right? We agree. That’s why all Stoggles eyewear is ANSI Z87.1-2020 certified.
That means our eye protection has passed two really important tests (aka feats of strength):
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A high mass impact test where a weighted ball bearing is dropped onto the lens of the glasses to see if they shatter; and
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A high velocity impact test in which a ball bearing is fired at the lenses to determine if they’ll hold up against high-speed debris.
When safety glasses pass these tests, they get sealed and certified, which means you can trust your eyewear to protect your eyes even in the midst of heavy, flying debris.
Side and Top Shields
Regular glasses leave massive gaps at the top and sides where debris, spills, and splatters can creep in. Side and top shields give your eyes 360-degree protection, so you don’t have to worry about splashing reclaimed wastewater in your eyes while watering the lawn.
Feel Good and Look Good
Let’s face it, safety glasses aren’t known for their stylistic appeal, but at Stoggles, we’re changing the way you protect your vision.
With several different frame shapes, numerous different colors, and the option to have them crafted with your vision-correcting lens prescription, it’s completely possible for you to have fully customized eyewear that looks as good as it protects.
Plus, with polycarbonate lenses and a sleek silhouette, these are the lightweight eyewear you need. Taking off your specs because they’re more uncomfortable than a public speaking class opens you up to a ton of ocular threats. The only way for safety eyewear to be safe is if we actually wear them.
Fog-Free Way To Be
You have to wear your mask and glasses, but you don’t have to spend your entire day being mad at the science of condensation. Anti-fog coated lenses make it easy for you to keep your cool even when things get steamy under your mask.
At Stoggles, we give you the ability to keep your sense of style while still protecting your vision by creating a hybrid style of safety eyewear that gets high marks for style and safety.
Sources:
When It Comes to Eye Injuries, the Men's Eyes Have It | American Academy of Ophthalmology
How To Wear a Face Mask Without Fogging Your Glasses | American Academy of Ophthalmology
