Hate Masks Because Your Glasses Fog Over? Try This

The little things often frustrate us the most. For Realtors who must wear glasses, the masks with small metal strips at the top work best to avoid glass fogging.

NEW YORK – Many real estate professionals wear a mask most of the day as they meet with clients, and a few annoyances may be getting in the way of making this pandemic safety consideration comfortable.

One of the most common gripes: “My glasses fog up!”

Here’s why it happens: “The hot air from your breath escapes from the top of your mask and lands on the cooler surface of your lens,” says Dr. Marie Budev, a pulmonary medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic.

Foggy glasses tend to occur when a mask doesn’t fit well.

Consumer Reports says the fix for this is to find a mask with a metal wire sewn over the top – the part that fits on the bridge of your nose. Pinch the top of the mask so it fits the shape of your nose. Tighten the sides of the mask by adjusting the straps. As long as the mask fits snugly, glasses shouldn’t fog up.

Medical tape can also be used on the bridge of the nose to close the gap between a nose and the mask. Also try anti-fogging sprays designed for glasses. Even washing glasses with soap and water before putting them on could prevent the fog, though some soaps can harm the coatings on the lenses.

Another common gripe related to mask wearing: “I can’t hear or understand the other person.”

A mask is “a physical barrier that blocks sound, and when a mask touches your lips, it can cause speech to be mumbled,” Dr. Douglas Hildrew, an ear, nose and throat specialist at the Yale School of Medicine, told Consumer Reports. “Human beings are emotional creatures, and even if we don’t lip-read, we get a lot of information from visual cues, like whether a person is smiling or their facial expression.”

Experts say that when you’re wearing a mask, speak slowly and clearly so others can understand what you’re saying. You needn’t speak louder, they say.

Source: “How to Fix Your Annoying Mask,” Consumer Reports (Aug. 12, 2020)

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