How to Stop Safety Glasses from Fogging Up?

The best prescription safety glasses keep your eyes safe from all sorts of hazardous materials when working. Whilst a face mask can help protect you and your loved ones from getting infected with the coronavirus disease. But these protective items can be quite bothersome to wear. Fogging is just one issue that many RX safety glasses users encounter when wearing both these items. The good thing is that there are a few effective ways to solve safety glasses fogging when wearing a face mask.

To prevent transmission and spread of the novel coronavirus and to fight the global pandemic, people around the world are mandated to follow minimum health standards and protocols at all times. One preventive measure that is strictly implemented and followed is the wearing of a face mask.

Wearing a face mask can help protect us and our loved ones from getting infected with COVID-19. The novel coronavirus is an infectious respiratory disease that is transmitted via person-to-person contact. It is usually spread through contacts, fomites, and droplets of saliva. These droplets are produced when a person talks, coughs, or sneezes. You can be infected if you happen to get in close contact with an infected person or if you inhale the saliva droplets or fomites of such a person. The face mask will help you avoid inhaling such infectious materials and at the same time, it will also prevent your saliva and fomites from spreading through your mouth, thus, helping protect your loved ones.

While wearing a face mask provides you protection, it can also be a nuisance, especially for eyewear users. Whether you are using best prescription safety glasses for work, for fashion as an added accessory to your outfit, or perhaps for visual correction, you can surely manage to find ways to wear it as comfortably as possible. The glasses can be quite annoying at times. How much more annoying can it be if you also need to wear another bothersome item on your face like a face mask? Face masks are quite uncomfortable to wear especially if you pair them with your glasses. Not only do they make breathing a bit difficult, but they can also fog up your glasses and impede your eyesight.

Are you one of those troubled by constantly fogging safety glasses? If yes, know that there are effective solutions to your problem. Here are some effective ways to solve safety glasses fogging when wearing a face mask.

Solution 1: Soap and water

Washing your safety glasses with regular liquid soap and water can help you avoid or at least minimize fogging. You just have to apply a small amount of liquid soap to your lenses and wash them off using clean water. Shake off excess water and then air dry your lenses. You can also dry them out using a soft microfiber fabric.

How do soap and water do the trick? You may ask. Well, it works because of the thin film that the soap leaves which can act as a fog barrier.

Note, though, that you need to consult your optician first before using this solution especially if your glasses have special coatings. Soap can ruin the special coatings of your Rx safety glasses.

Solution 2: Ensure proper mask fit

Make sure that your mask fits you well. Secure the edges particularly the nose bridge area to prevent the steam room effect. If you are using a disposable surgical mask, make sure to pinch the wire on the nose area so it will fit the shape of your nose. If you want to use a washable mask, choose the one that is shaped and designed to fit the face or the one with a nose bridge. This trick will not only help prevent safety glasses from fogging but it can also help you avoid inhaling droplets or fomites that may pass through via the opening on your mask's edges.

Solution 3: Permanent anti-fog coating

If you are looking for a long-term, stress-free fog solution, a permanent anti-fog coating can do you a favor. This special coating is a chemically bonded coating that is applied to the lenses. To be more effective, you need to add the anti-fog coating on both the inside and outside of the lenses. The anti-fog coating also works well in preventing fog build-up during humid or cold seasons.

Solution 4: Shaving cream

Need a quick fix? Try the shaving cream. Just like soap, the shaving cream will also leave a thin, invisible layer of residue that can help prevent the lenses from misting up. To use the shaving cream or foam for fog build-up prevention, simply apply a thin layer of shaving cream to the lenses and then wipe it off using a clean microfiber cloth.

Solution 5: Over-the-counter de-fogging products

Though the anti-fog coating provides a permanent, lasting solution to safety glasses fogging issues, it can be quite an expensive add-on to your eyewear. If you are looking for a reliable yet more pocket-friendly solution, you can opt for over-the-counter de-fogging products. You can either use anti-fog waxes, solutions, gels, or sprays. These products are effective in dispersing even the tiny droplets of fog on your glasses when you are wearing a face mask.

Always keep in mind, though, that you need to be extra careful in choosing the product you will use for your prescription safety glasses. Some products can be too harsh for the lenses and can damage the special coating and even the prescription. For over-the-counter de-fogging products, check if the product is suitable for lenses. Or better yet, buy de-fogging products only from an eye doctor or optical shop. And don't forget to clean your safety glasses after every use. You can also try different types of face masks so you can find the one that is most comfortable to wear.