AIBU to wonder how people with glasses are managing with masks?

[DanceItOut]

Just to be clear from the start I absolutely have face masks and I have been wearing them on the handful of occasions I have been to the shop. I do understand that wearing one is more important than my discomfort.

However. Going around the shop today I literally had to wipe my glasses every time I breathed, I think it was worse today because of the colder wet weather. I cannot see without my glasses. I basically went around the shop intermittently hold my breath for as long as possible to minimise the number of times I was touching my face to remove and wipe my glasses because we aren’t supposed to touch our faces but when I didn’t wipe them I actually walked straight into another persons trolley.

Now quite obviously it MUST be possible to avoid this issue because how else would doctors and nurses manage? So it must be possible but I even brought some spray which apparently is anti fog but it did nothing.

Has anyone else found a solution to this? AIBU to wonder how the medical profession do it and ask them to share their wisdom?

Ok so I think the general consensus is that the best thing is generally metal wire or tape around the mask.

To the people saying things like “anti fog spray google it” I did say in the OP I have some and it didn’t help.

As someone who tries to be as close to zero waste as possible our masks our homemade so I will purchase some metal bits to hopefully improve them, failing that I guess the kids will continue with reusable and I will have to go disposable as not wearing glasses is not and option and due to being blind in one eye it is not recommended that I try contact lenses because if I were to scratch my eye or get it infected I would be compromising my only eye. I absolutely will not be using washing up liquid my downstairs neighbour did this and now can’t see out if her glasses properly because the coating on them has gone weird and maybe her glasses blurry.

Thanks for the input everyone and for people keeping it sensible and polite. 🙏

Anyone have any ideas how to stop my glasses falling off when wearing a mask?

They normally for perfectly but as soon as a mask goes on they slide off constantly. I'm touching my face more trying to keep them on! I tried the back of the head fastener but my mask kept sliding. Perhaps I have the wrong shaped face!

I do alot of sanding, restoring furniture, and it is a pain wearing a mask with glasses, and it will get worse as winter approaches. When you go indoors you are suddenly blind, and people don't seem to appreciate it.

You can do all the anti fog stuff, but I've never found a decent solution.

I don't think doctors and nurses go outside and inside much. I'm pretty sure they generally stay indoors.

But it's a cross us glasses wearers have to bear. If we can do it...

Don't put washing up liquid on your glasses if they have the anti glare coating

Medical people absolutely do not wear masks ( or gloves) outside
Massive no no. -

Make sure the metal strip is bent very closely around the nose and wear glasses slightly forwards down your nose and over the mask - it’s the only way

And thank your lucky stars you’re not wearing a visor and loupes too

I don’t think my mask has wire in but it does fit snuggly on the top. The nose section goes higher than the rest of the top of the mask so it fits nicely and there is hardly any foggage. My husband bought it on amazon (it’s dark blue).

but when you look down the glasses just slide off @Heatherjayne1972

This shape mask with wire in it works well for me OP. But I think to some extent you just have to find what works for you. shopvida.com/products/protective-mask

I was told by an optometry lecturer / practitioner it was OK to use the green original fairy but NOT a citrus detergent or other scented one as that's what would take the coating off

I have the masks with the metal strip and it makes no difference, plus my glasses also slide down the mask whereas normally they sit on my skin

I have to take them off in the shops and can't see a bloody thing

Make sure the metal strip is bent very closely around the nose and wear glasses slightly forwards down your nose and over the mask - it’s the only way

The problem with this, is if you bend over, the glasses fall off, and if you wear varifocals, you can't see a thing.

I'm touching my face MUCH more with a mask on because I have to keep adjusting everything so I can see!

I don't do anything special but just put my glasses on top of the mask. I do have fancy coating on my glasses though.

I don't have a net l strip either.

metal strip

@IwishIwasyoda

And what pisses me off more than anything is the fact I now touch my glasses and mask loads because I cannot bloody see properly. I was safer mask free

I totally agree. I was in Tesco earlier this afternoon and I had to stop many times to clean my glasses because they just kept steaming up.

I've tried every which way of wearing the bloody mask, and NOTHING works. I won't be putting washing up liquid or anything else on them because it will damage the coatings. Tissue over my nose had no effect whatsoever and they still steamed up.

A man in the store who was also wearing glasses saw me cleaning mine and told me that he too was finding it a complete pain in the arse. As did a shelf stacker.

I have wore masks and varifocals. It’s impossible. You can’t wear the glasses down your nose because then you can’t see easily through the bit you need and even with the wire closed tightly they still fog up. My mum has hearing aids too and they fall out when disturbed by the mask elastic. It’s a problem. We are wearing the masks but it is not easy.

Wire masks not wore masks

It's bizarre, some days are totally fine with no fogging and Some days are constantly fogging, absolutely no idea what does or doesn't make them fog!!!

@Binterested

I have wore masks and varifocals. It’s impossible. You can’t wear the glasses down your nose because then you can’t see easily through the bit you need and even with the wire closed tightly they still fog up. My mum has hearing aids too and they fall out when disturbed by the mask elastic. It’s a problem. We are wearing the masks but it is not easy.

I don't have a problem with my varifocals, maybe it's the shape of your mask. If you don't like the elastic over your ears try attaching them to a headband or ear protectors.

Or tie with a ribbon at the back.

I have a small face and the b&q dust masks with the metal strip are too big/ineffective.

I wear varifocals and tucking the mask under impacts my field of vision.

Somebody on here recommended Seasalt 'snoods' which seem to be the only face covering that doesn't fog my glasses. No, they're not a mask, but not sure how effective my masks are with me constantly stopping and adjusting with glasses/mask anyway.

Got this from my sister.

I keep seeing this as a problem but I wear glasses and have not had this at all . I pinch the metal wire tight over my nose and sit the glasses over the top of.the mask so it sits under the glasses . I don't just don't get any steam . I haven't tried the reusable cloth ones yet though as I am using up my surgical mask stock first ( bought 100 in the Ebola epidemic in 2014 which I still have) - because well I was an idiot over Ebola Still they have come in handy eventually

www.specsavers.co.uk/covid19-care/stop-glasses-fogging-with-face-mask

I got this sent from spec savers

Surgical mask with a wire over the nose squeezed tightly to bridge of the nose, double looped round the ears. Glasses resting slightly in front of wire. Zero problems.