For all you glasses (or sunglasses) wearers, you know the struggle that comes with donning both your face mask and your spectacles at the same time: Things can get real foggy. While super annoying, it's also a super common issue—and by no means is it a reason to forgo masking up altogether (so don't even go there).
But first, why do face masks cloud up glasses so much? According to ophthalmologist and president of Halodine, Jesse Pelletier, MD FACS, this happens because of condensation caused by our warm breaths."With every exhalation, increased pressure between the mask and face pushes the mask outwards and creates perimeter leakage." In layman's terms, your breath is escaping through the top of your mask and causing condensation on your lens.
Aside from all the annoying fogginess, your breath escaping from your mask is a big no-no, considering that the purpose of a face mask is to protect others from any droplets that may escape when you talk, sneeze, or cough. So if your glasses are clouding up, then your face mask isn't properly fitted.
But the good news is you can certainly find face masks that are better fitted for you, with more emphasis on leaving as little space between the upper rim of your mask and the bridge of your nose as possible. Dr. Pelletier recommends looking for ones with a conforming wire, like an N95 or KN95 respirator.
While there are a couple of other ways to alleviate foggy glasses from mask-wearing—such as wearing your specs further down on your nose or even using anti-fogging treatments on your lens (yes, those exist)—your best (and probably safest) bet is a mask with a firm wire that you can mold and shape closer to your face.
Add to that, your mask should have at least two layers of fabric for optimal protection against virus particles. But don't just take my word for it: Rashid A. Chotani, MD, infectious disease and biodefense expert strongly advises this, because "any space between the face and mask is a potential opening for the virus to enter your breathing space."
Keeping these expert tips in mind, here are some of the best face masks for glasses wearers that'll help keep both the fogginess and virus particles at bay.