Covid-19 has made an impact on everyone’s life. We are being forced to adapt to the new normal which we probably would never have imagined. In the current situation, face masks are becoming an increasingly common and necessary accessory, for the benefit of both your health and the health of others. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that the wearing of face masks can help curb the spread of coronavirus. However, wearing a face mask and glasses at the same time can lead to a problem; foggy lenses. For spectacle wearers, ‘foggy spectacles’ adds on to these new norms.
Fog is everywhere – much of the exhaled air is directed upwards by the face mask, where it comes into contact with the spectacle lenses. The misting occurs from the warm water vapour 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.
It may happen at every moment of the day, in everyday life situations. It is very common if the environment around you keeps changing— moving from cold to hot environment like getting out of an AC environment or coming in from a hot place can lead to fogging. Being involved in indoor activities like sipping a cup of hot beverage, while eating steaming hot food, boiling a pan of water, etc can cause fogging. Outdoor leisure activities like skiing, cycling, playing sports like tennis, racing, etc can also lead to fogging of your spectacles. Professionals who have to use or wear masks at work like surgeons, lab technicians, firefighters, nurses, drivers driving in snowy conditions, etc face the problem of fogging regularly.
Foggy spectacles today have become a great concern as everyone has to wear masks, both indoors and outdoors, especially if people are around. While wearing a face mask, we repeatedly breathe out warm air. This air then can sneak out of the top of the mask and fog up the spectacle lenses. While it may seem like a minor issue to some, it could pose a risk to others who rely on their vision to perform tasks at home or at work.
Rather than being unavoidable, you can take steps to keep your glasses from fogging up while wearing a mask. The steps included in this exercise are: Washing the spectacles with soap water and air dry before wearing the mask. After wearing the mask properly, pinch the nose clip to tighten the mask over the nose bridge. A snug-fitting mask will help keep the warm breath from fogging the lenses. In case the masks don’t have nose clips, an easy and inexpensive way to seal the mask to keep breath from reaching the spectacles is to use a piece of double side tape between the nose bridge and the mask. However, there’s also the Antifog solution in spectacle lenses. This could be a better option. These Antifog lenses come with a top layer of Antifog molecules on the lens in the form of a coating. The Antifog function of these molecules is further activated by using a specific cloth, known as “Smart textile”, which is used, both for cleaning as well for activating the antifog property of the lens.
The author is Director- Dayal Opticals India Pvt Ltd, Khan Market.