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Glasses and masks: Tips for wearing both and being comfortable

Wearing a mask can help prevent the spread of COVID-19. In a health care setting, proper personal protective equipment often requires wearing a facemask and eye protection. For those who wear glasses, adding a mask to the mix can be bothersome.

When you wear a mask, the warm, moist air that you exhale is typically directed upwards, which can land on your cooler lenses and cause your glasses to fog up. This effect can be even worse in colder temperatures.

woman looking through glasses with mask on
Don’t you hate when your glasses fog up while wearing a mask. Try these tips and clear the fog.

Marshfield Clinic Health System Optometrist Dr. Jill Dillon shares a few tips to help stop the fogging and keep you comfortable while wearing glasses and a mask.

Eliminate the fog

Dillon recommends first checking that the top of your mask is tight and the bottom is looser. This can move your breath away from your eyes and glasses.

“If your mask has a metal piece in the top, be sure to pinch that piece tight against your nose,” Dillon said. “If you have a homemade mask, try to cinch the fabric at the top as tight as you can to your nose and cheeks. Another option is to add a pipe cleaner in the top of the fabric that can then be molded to your face.”

Athletic or medical tape also can help seal the top of the mask around the bridge of your nose, Dillon said. Additionally, you can put a tissue inside the mask, up on your nose, so that this absorbs some of the moist air. One drawback to this is keeping the tissue in place.

If your masks has ties, crisscross the ties so the top ties come below your ears and the bottom ones go above. Dillon said this will help tighten the mask. However, masks with ear loops should be tightened without causing your ears to be sore.

“Many ideas exist on how to prevent sore ears from masks, including buttons on headbands, strap extenders and using tie masks,” Dillon said. You also may be able to attach the straps to the temples of your glasses, depending on what kind of frame you have.”

If all else fails, Dillon said pull the mask up as far as you can, while still being sure it stays under your chin. Let your glasses rest on top of the mask to create a better seal and avoid fogging.

Clear the fog

Dillon also offers a few ways to keep your lenses clear.

She recommends washing your lenses with soap and water and letting them air dry. This may leave a surfactant on the lens and help it from fogging. Commercial anti-fogging sprays and wipes do exist. However, Dillon said they can be expensive because you will need to use them every three to five days.

“Some lenses with anti-glare coating can be difficult to stop from fogging, even using these methods,” Dillon said.

If you are still having trouble with your glasses and masking, reach out to your eye care provider.

15 responses to “Glasses and masks: Tips for wearing both and being comfortable”

  1. Bill

    Hi there! I have an additional trick that can be tried in the cooler weather where fogging is more frequent. "BE AWARE OF YOUR ENVIROMENT", inside or outside! Some of you may already be doing this. I say this because dry air can help "blow" off the moisture. If you're inside and drawing static electricity shocks, just shake your head or turn quickly (without throwing your neck out). This will move the dry, indoor air past your lenses and de-fog them more quickly. Outdoor weather works about the same when the moisture in the air is low. Watch the humidity, and breathe slowly through the nose, if you can.

  2. Trinity

    This is so helpful for school!!

    1. Jacob Zipperer

      Hello Trinity,

      We are so glad to hear that you found this information helpful for school. Hope you have a great day,
      Jake

  3. LouAnn Olsen

    Yes thanks for info. I almost lost a hearing aide when taking off my mask. Wearing mask,glasses, hearing aids and ear rings is a lot to juggle. So just wearing ear ring posts works for me. Or no ear rings☹️

  4. Charlotte Kraft

    I find wearing a face mask is so exhausting. It seems I cannot get enough air. By the time I am through grocery shopping, I am done for the day. Yes, I do wear glasses, and they fog up. I will try your suggestions. It seems when I wear the mask, I keep breathing my exhaled air.

    1. Jacob Zipperer

      Hi Charlotte,

      Thank you for reaching out and sharing. We hope these suggestions help you out!

      -Jake

  5. Karol B.

    Really appreciate this info with several options and suggestions to try. I expect to be wearing a mask often and already find fogging a problem which will become worse in colder weather. Many thanks for a pertinent topic.

    1. Jacob Zipperer

      Hello Karol,

      Thank you for reading Shine365. We are glad to hear that you found this information helpful 🙂

      -Jake

  6. Patricia Steiner

    The print button on this article did not print the complete story. Also it would be nice to have only the information in print to eliminate using so much ink for pictures.
    Thank you

    1. Jacob Zipperer

      Hi Patricia,

      We are sorry to hear that you are having problems printing the article. If you would like, we could send you a PDF of the story for you to print. If so, please let us know the email address that would be best to send the PDF to.

      Thank you,
      Jake

  7. Shirley

    Hearing aids pose another problem. Because I often don't hear something that is being said, I also relied on lip reading.

    1. Jacob Zipperer

      Hi Shirley,

      Thank you for reaching out. We know that hearing can be difficult with masks as well. We wrote another article on the topic if you would like to get some more tips:
      https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/wellness/hearing-aids-and-masks/

      Thanks and I hope that helps,
      Jake

    2. Carlyn Tomajcik

      I also find not being able to add lip reading to my hearing is very hard.

  8. Karrell

    I also find that if you can avoid mouth breathing and stick to nose breathing while wearing a face covering, it helps somewhat in forcing exhaled air downward instead of upward, onto glasses.

    1. Jacob Zipperer

      Hi Karrell,

      Thanks for reading Shine365 and sharing your tip. We appreciate it!

      -Jake

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