Masks and glasses - at my wits end

[Mcmole]

Has anyone got any magic way to stop my glasses steaming up in a mask? It is worse in the cold weather, and now we have to wear them at school pick up I am actually really stressed about it as I have to walk through the playground in a total fog and not recognise anyone. It makes me panic, feel really disorientated, and feels unsafe. Possibly hot flushes (ugggghhhh) are not helping the situation either!

I have tried the nose wire, plastic 'cages', an anti-fog cloth (which doesn't seem to work), and really can't afford to spend much more on different types of masks (I've got loads, 90% of them feel too big which doesn't help I guess). Unwilling to try washing up liquid/shaving foam as due to my prescription my glasses are expensive and I've heard these can wreck the coating!

Also, because I do have a very strong prescription, I can't move them to a slightly different position as it throws me totally off balance.

Since they became compulsory I have simply avoided any situations where they are needed (not a great hardship at all for me as I am very much an online shopper at the best of times!) but I can't avoid picking up my daughter. As it is I am waiting until the pick up queue starts to move to minimise my time in it but I do need to be able to see to safely walk along and avoid cars/bikes/people.

Any advice? I understand to some people this is not going to sound like a big problem but after a really shit year it just feels like the final straw.

Press your mask in around your nose and then put your glasses on top.
The surgical masks with the flexible bar over the nose are probably best.

I’ve seen people wearing a bandana instead, so their breath gets ‘out’.

Putting glasses over the top means they slide off when looking or bending down

Also the string straps which go down ears make a track for the arms of glasses to slide down and then off

I have just one pair of glasses and find they are on the floor regularly.

I can’t see when they got up, it then becomes a trip hazard or I bump into people

I have this problem too. I remember going to a butterfly house that had a hairdryer outside to warm up your glasses so they didn't mist up in the warmth. Which I think is why they settle down in time as the lenses gradually warm up with your breath. I have considered blasting my glasses with hot air and putting my mask on before leaving home but I don't really want to wear it the whole walk to school. If you drive, a car heater might help?

The only thing that (kind of) works for me is wearing a (doubled over) buff, which hugs your face a bit better than a mask so less hot air is directed towards your glasses. Advice on an opticians website is to direct your breath downwards ... what do they think we're doing, handstands?! Surely that's the default position given the configuration of the human face Or am I the only one without an upturned nose and a nostril on each shoulder?? And breathe. (Downwards. Grrr.)

How old is your wee one? Couldn't you just send them off at the gate? I'm sure by age 4 the can find the classroom they spend every day in, by themself. But maybe that's optimism talking lol.

I have to wear my mask all day at work and this stuff is a game changer. I spray it on then wipe with a tissue in the morning and it lasts for ages. I do reapply at lunch time just in case it is starting to wear off but applying it morning and noon means it lasts all day with no fogging.

muc-off.com/products/anti-fog-treatment?variant=23272416583&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2019-07-15&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=CjwKCAiAqJn9BRB0EiwAJ1SztVYPEqtC1RkDA1jpcuzc9_tP4Tam1Ib8dGxzthwnUqawukiWd9JN8BoCQEwQAvD_BwE

I had this problem with masks and glasses but I've recently bought a pack of three face masks from ASOS. They are called three layers, have a nose clip to help with fitting and adjustable straps for around the ears. They are extremely comfortable and don't cause glasses to steam up.

I have a friend who makes custom fit masks that don't steam your glasses at all.

Happy to PM a link to her Etsy shop if anyone would like it...

I feel your pain. So far my solutions have been, if I’m just nipping in somewhere I kind of hook my top lip over my bottom lip and breathe downwards - obviously not sustainable for ages but ok for a short while. If it’s for longer my sewing friend has made me something which sits round my neck like a scarf but has elastic around the top edge so you just pull it up over your mouth and nose which seems to stop my glasses steaming up, the downside to this is it can get quite warm and according to my teenager son I look a bit like a gangster but I’m a gangster with clear glasses

@Bunnymumy

How old is your wee one? Couldn't you just send them off at the gate? I'm sure by age 4 the can find the classroom they spend every day in, by themself. But maybe that's optimism talking lol.

Pretty sure the OP’s school - like most - insists parents wear masks to drop off at the school gates. You’re not allowed inside the school gates at all.

Surgical mask with surgical tape on the bridge of your nose. One of the consultants I see does this & she is wearing masks for hours.

For me, I bought pleated masks with very flexible nose wires from Etsy & find these fine if I shape the wire closely & sit my glasses over the top.

It's outdoors in British weather that is a real problem. Not many surgeons wear masks in rain or freezing fog...

Same problem here too. And also, if I pull the mask up high enough to tuck it under my glasses it irritates my eyes. I'm happy to wear masks but they're a pain in the arse.

No advice just solidarity. Thankfully I have some daily contact lenses so put them in for school runs but if I forget I hate it, cant see a thing and feel so confused and disoriented

@randomsabreuse glasses aren’t much use in the rain or fog with or without a mask. That’s when contact lenses come in handy.

@Bunnymumy

Just don't wear them outside. There's really no need to wear them outside and its clearly doing you more harm than good.

I always hold off putting mine on until I'm just about to go into a building..

Mine fog up inside too.

It's horrible, not being able to see. And at least twice I've had people laugh at me "ha ha, your glasses are all steamed up" - yeah, hilarious.

I can't tuck the mask up under my glasses because then there is no grip on the nose and they fall off. If the mask is a bit high they fall off because the mask pushes the glasses up a bit. This is also a pain because with them being vari vocals I am then looking through the wrong bit of the lens which is disconcerting, and I can't see properly.

The other thing that happens is that the elastic behind my ears takes up the space my glasses arms usually sit and that also makes them unstable. They fell off twice in the Co-op last week.

I have one that does up behind my head but that's a pain for putting on and taking off (and only solves the ear problem, not the rest).

I've tried children's ones because it turns out I have a shallow face, not something I've ever had to think about before! But kids ones are too small.

Sympathy OP. It is a right PITA and a lot of the "tips" offered, as pp have said, don't actually work, or not for everyone! I generally get away with resting the glasses on top of the mask, but it does make my vision go a bit funny as the lenses aren't in the right place, and doesn't always stop the fog anyway, so it's a bit of a crap suggestion, frankly... Also my issue is the ear loops get tangled up with the arms of the glasses so I end up pulling both off.

For a box-ticking compliance (like being outside in the playground well socially distanced, where a mask is of very limited use, but just to be seen to be complying with school instructions) a silk/ viscose/ cotton scarf loosely draped over my face doesn't generally result in fogging, probably because it doesn't force your breath up. And I get to feel a bit Arabian Nights-y. It complies with the requirement for a face covering though so is definitely better than nothing. Or a buff type thing over your nose and mouth, though personally I find those fall off more than a scarf.

I am currently having the same issue, I have found that the disposable masks are much better for the school run as I can mould the metal strip and put it higher up under my specs. It's going to be a pain all winter due to the temperature differences but if you do warm up your specs DO NOT USE A HAIRDRYER ON THEM!!! it will destroy your coatings and the lenses will have to be replaced. Warming them up gently in your hands is best.
I am a dispensing optician and have seen no end of lens coatings damaged by heat!

A tip I got from an MN thread from a while ago was make sure you are breathing through your nose. I found that very helpful. (And yes, my mask does cover my nose)
A bit of shaving foam wiped on bathroom mirror stops it from steaming up.
My glasses have anti reflective coating which would be damaged by that, but if you don't have that, it would be worth a try.

I'm having the same problem and associated panic - I don't think non-glasses wearers or those with light prescriptions quite get how unpleasant it is.

It's definitely the steam of your breath condensing on the cold lenses. It's just like going into a warm room from the cold outdoors, which is why it wasn't really an issue in summer.

Do you have a second pair, which you could warm in your pocket and switch to when you put on the mask? Even if it's an old pair, just for those few minutes.

I can't recommend drinking a coffee to warm your glasses - your breath smells absolutely gopping afterwards and it's all stuck in the mask with you.

@wheresmymojo

I have a friend who makes custom fit masks that don't steam your glasses at all.

Happy to PM a link to her Etsy shop if anyone would like it...

Yes please!

And thanks everyone else for the suggestions. I just tried the breathing technique at home and I think it does have potential to help.

Re the ear loops tangling with the ear pieces of the glasses:

Try twisting the ear loop before you put it on, so that the bit attached to the bottom of the mask goes over the top of your ear, and the bit attached to the top of the mask goes under your ear. Just one twist in each loop.

This fits the loops more snuggly to your ears (my glasses never get caught when I remove a mask worn this way). It also draws the sides of the mask down and away from your glasses, also fitting them more snuggly to your cheeks - less fogging and less mask edge digging into your eyes when you pull it up under your glasses.

AFAIK this only works with pleated rectangle masks, both fabric and disposable.

I just take my specs off first now, after getting in a tangle a couple of times!

If using a fabric mask, straighten out a paper clip and insert it in the top seam. You can then pinch it over the nose which makes it a bit better.