Sharing Your Solutions For Foggy Glasses

As we continue to navigate these unprecedented times, KCBS Radio is getting the answers to your questions about the coronavirus pandemic. Every morning at 9:20 a.m. Monday-Friday we're doing an "Ask An Expert" segment with a focus on a different aspect of this situation each day.

Today we're mixing things up by asking you to be the expert to help solve a perplexing mask-wearing issue: how to stop fogging up your glasses. About two-thirds of American adults wear eyeglasses and even more wear sunglasses outdoors.

Bunger: First we turn to KCBS Radio sports reporter Steve Bitker who has been wearing glasses since he was five-years-old. You say that even with a mask on this isn't that big of a problem. What do you think?

Bitker: Well, it's because I avoid even small crowds. As you know, my wife and I have been going out for power walks every day since this shelter at home started but we pick our routes very very carefully. For example, we don't walk along the Bay on the weekends and we don't walk along the Bay in the late afternoons because it gets really crowded out there, relatively speaking. So we pick our routes carefully and that way we see very very few people so whenever we do come across anyone approaching, the mask goes up. Otherwise it stays down around my sheltering-at-home beard, which is a little scratchy but that's another issue. And then if we go to pick up food at a restaurant or go into a grocery store or whatever, obviously it's on the whole time. But otherwise it doesn't present that big a problem.

Bunger: Okay, so your solution is less time wearing it so that those brief moments when maybe there is some fog isn't that big a deal.

Bitker: Yeah just stay away from people, that's it.

Bunger: (laughs) Okay, that makes sense and from a public health perspective is a really great idea too. Kim Wonderley, I know you wear sunglasses even when the sun's not out.

Wonderley: Like crazy (laughs). Yes I do. 

Bunger: Anything that works for you?

Wonderley: Well again, I'm a big proponent of the neck gaiter. I know that doesn't provide the most, ultimate protection but when you're outside I think it's fine and so much easier because you don't have to have it on around your ears. I have trouble with a lot of the masks where the elastic that goes around the ears pulls your ears in and it's always popping off, or whatever. So having the neck gaiter - so it's just hanging around your neck - you see somebody coming, you pull it up over your nose and mouth and you're kinda good to go. And that works when I'm on my bicycle or if I'm hiking with Chester or whatever. Super easy, super fast, doesn't fog up my glasses.

However, my experience is a lot different from Steve's. When I'm in the grocery store and I'm wearing a heavier mask - like an N95 type mask - I definitely get the fogging if I've got my glasses. Normally I won't wear my glasses in the market just because of that reason. So I'm going to guess if you're in the market you're going to have a problem, because you're wearing glasses all the time right?

Bunger: Yeah, and I don't go to the supermarket much. Thankfully I have a lovely bride who's taken on that opportunity. But I go to the farmer's market every week and I've gotta be honest with you, I'm having trouble telling the chard from the kale sometimes because of the fog that's on the glasses so it's a matter of some personal interest. Kim, thanks for that. Let's grab Tim Ryan - you wear glasses right?

Ryan: I sure do.

Bunger: Anything that works? Because you're out and about a lot as a reporter.

Ryan: Well I am, and I find it to be an extreme hassle not being able to really see my nose. I work overnight hours a lot, it's already dark out. But looking at my notes, looking at the digital counter on my recorder, it's a problem. And I'll tell you what, if somebody comes up with a solution Stan, I'm going to nominate them for Time's Person of the Year. Although I think Anthony Fauci's probably going to win that. 

Stan, you know I've been a diver for years - more skin diving than scuba diving - of course before you go into the ocean everybody knows you spit in your mask and then you move it around with your fingers and after about 15 seconds you dip the mask in the saltwater of the sea real quick and shake it out, and it really does keep that diving mask from steaming up. Now I tried that with my glasses and I thought, "my god, it's working!" But then I let the glasses dry and then it all comes back. And I think part of it is now you've got salt solution on your glasses, probably not good for the coating on your glasses. So no, I have no solution and it's a real hassle.

Bunger: So there's Tim Ryan. We'll get into the diving masks. You know, I'm a swimmer and I've done the same thing in my goggles for years in the pool - of course I haven't had my goggles in the pool for like 90 days now so we'll see what happens when we get back to that. 

Alright, so we did ask this question a few times of true experts in the field. Dr. Bob Wachter, who's been a guest here on Ask An Expert many times, he's the chair of the UCSF Department of Medicine and he said, "If someone can figure that out I would love to hear that, I'm having exactly the same problem." We also asked the question of Dr. Larry Chu, an associate professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, who did have a fix.

Dr. Chu: A little piece of tape right at the section where the mask is next to the nose. That really helps keep your glasses from fogging up. That's my little trick.

Bunger: So the point is, a little piece of adhesive tape. Then you have to remember to carry that around with you, put it on, take it off and so on. A friend of mine, Gianguido Jacoli is an optician in the Bay Area and I asked him.

Jacoli: The short answer, Stan, at least from my perspective is nothing really works effectively. There are several anti-fog products on the market such as Spit, named after the most common remedy, Cat Crap Anti Fog Liquid, which I've tried with little success. The problem is that with all of these products you end up with a film on the lens that impedes visibility. Plus if you have an anti-reflective coat on your lenses, you run the risk of destroying it. I think the best way to keep your glasses from fogging up is the have a good seal around your nose.

Bunger: Okay, so a physical seal around the nose - and yes he did say "Cat Crap" and there is in fact a product out there by that name. The Amazon listing says it's a little greenish balm, it looks like a little tiny plastic container about the size of a half dollar in diameter. The makers advertise on Amazon that it's safe on coated lenses including mirrored finishes. They say Cat Crap also protects lenses, binoculars, helmet visors and so on from dust and lint so apparently it makes the surface kind of slippery. Don't use actual feline feces. Cat Crap is the product name. 

There's another one called Spit, and while Tim Ryan mentioned actual human spit there is a product out there called Spit and it started in the diving world as a treatment on the inside of your mask. It's now in spray form, they call it "Quick Spit" but they say it's not recommended for use on prescription eyewear and this may have something to do of course with the whole notion of destroying any coating that is on your prescription lenses. 

I ran across a product called Optic Guard, comes from a little company in Joplin, Missouri called Allstate Optical. This is not a big money operation, they say they've been selling this stuff since 1977 and they say it cleans and polishes glass and plastic lenses and is safe on coated lenses. This sounds like one of those things kinda like cleaning supplies - they say you should test it on an invisible portion of your clothing before you put it on the whole thing and you don't know for sure. 

There's also a company selling something called Fogbuster Anti-Fog cleaning towelettes. You take it out of the little package, wipe the glasses, let them dry and we did find from one online vendor that apparently Nike sells an anti-fog coating that can be applied to their own brand of prescription glasses, sunglasses or goggles. Maybe something proprietary there, a permanent solution that you can buy when you buy a new pair of glasses. 

So that gets us back to what to do about where we are right now, and so we did put that out to you and got lots of great responses. We thank each and every one of you. Let's run down a few of these. We got this message from listener Scout Parker.

"Hey Stan, it's Scout Parker here. I've heard your comments on the radio in regards to wearing a mask and having your glasses fog up. I personally have been having this problem myself and I was destined to find some solution. I was lucky and I found a mask that would solve this problem. It's called the Magic Wide Wicking Headband. It is basically a tube sock that you put over your head and it can go and hang around your neck. It's very easy to pull up over your nose and mouth and they're breathable. They are stretchy, they are soft, they don't itch my face. I can put them in the washing machine with everything else and they come out very nicely even in the dryer. I have used them multiple times and put them in the washer after I used them one time and they still look in the same condition as when I wore them the first time. I'm hoping you can pass on this message and help others and I'm hoping that other people don't have this same problem. Good luck," says Parker.

Bunger: That sounds like a variation of a neck gaiter that Kim uses. And Jason Brooks has checked in giving his approval to that neck gaiter, he says that's what he does when he goes out hiking. Pulls it up when he's on the trail near people, pulls it down otherwise and it seems to work.

Another one from a listener named Matt.

This listener Matt sent us his solution to wearing glasses and a face mask at the same time, without fogging up the glasses.It's one of the many solutions to this problem addressed in today's "Ask An Expert" segment, which you can hear in full here:https://t.co/ncEyJdD209 pic.twitter.com/bZe64FOSyP

We received a few email suggestions as well. Retired Physician Assistant Barbara Morita says, "I am a healthcare worker who uses an N95 and also a crafter who makes cloth masks. The way we avoid fogging glasses with N95's is getting a tight fit and molding the nose strip snuggly over the bridge of your nose. As a crafter I found two things. You can purchase excellent "aluminum nose strips" online and stick or sew them into the top edge of fabric masks. They come with an adhesive strip. I incorporate them into the top band of the mask using both the adhesive strip and sewing them down inside the band.  You could add one to an existing mask using the adhesive strip, but I would also use thread to hold it down. Purchasing from a "made in the USA" vendor gives more reliable and quick results - three days - compared to getting from China with delays in shipping. I found several vendors on Etsy."

"A mask with cloth straps instead of elastic ear loops enables you to get a good snug fit. It is less convenient than ear loops but you can snug them down. The top strap should tie on the upper back of your head, the lower strap on the back of your neck. When you mold the aluminum strip over your nose bridge use the fingers of both hands, start in the middle and press firmly to match the curve of your nose/cheeks. That is how we train for N95 use. It works!"

Jean Nix of Sunnyvale suggests, "tuck the top of the mask over your nose and under the bottom part of the glasses. Works well." 

Listener Keith Brown suggests a different way to clean your glasses.

"Stan, I purchased an oven recently and it told me that a great cleaner for stainless steel was shaving cream, the cheaper the better. And almost as an aside at the end, it works great on glasses too. I tried it, it works great. So basically I just clean my glasses as I normally would and then spray shaving cream - as I say, the cheaper the better - on both lenses and swirl it around a little bit and wipe it off and it works great. Check it out," says Brown.

We had a few on the shaving cream front, so this is not a unique approach. Here's what another listener had to say, "so I fold a piece of tissue paper so it's about an inch by three inches and put it across the bridge of my nose before I put the mask on. It blocks some of the exhalation, it filters out the vapor and it cushions the mask. Also, make sure your glasses are clean before you put the mask on. That'll help with blocking the fog. And it's not really part of this question, but we also try to brush our teeth with toothpaste before we put the mask on because that makes it a little more tolerable. Hope it helps."

There's also one listener who says Optic Guard helps, that's one of the products we mentioned earlier.

This next tip is from Rebecca. "I'm not sure if this is a tip because I'm sure everyone has tried this but here goes. Most of the fogging disappeared once I started to wear my mask as far up my face as I could (without irritating my eyes) and let my glasses overlap a little on top. I do this with bandanas too though it's not as successful partly because my bandanas slip. I also found especially with bandanas that if I breathe in through my nose and out my mouth then things fog up less but then I also forget to breath with my mouth so there's that. Fun all around!"

From Beth, "my experience with masks and foggy glasses has been improved by wearing a fabric mask that is big enough to fit under my glasses. That way my breath doesn't escape the mask at the top, which causes the fogging. My breath goes out through the mask."

Listener Warren offers a reminder as someone who wears a mask to work everyday. 

"On the question, how to keep glasses from fogging up with a face mask. We use masks every day all year long here in the cabinet shop to keep out dangerous dust particles. If your glasses are fogging up, you do not have the mask on correctly. For a mask to serve its full purpose there should be no free air going in or out of the mask around the edges, so then no fogging up. All the air needs to go through the filter material," he says.

Another listener says, "I wear a cloth mask and it's high enough for me to tuck under my glasses. That totally stops the fog. I wish I had discovered this weeks ago."

We did get a couple of great suggestions by a listener by the name of Bob Shepard. One of them has to do with using a wire to shape the mask around the bridge of the nose. He actually upgraded with some 22 gauge solid copper wire over the wire that was already in the mask.

He works on a horse ranch and moves hundreds of pounds of manure every weekend, so you know he knows face masks. He uses a bandana and to prevent his glasses from fogging he uses a shoelace and two wooden beads that help press the cloth into the gaps beside the nose. The whole goal here is to get as tight a seal as you can. The wooden beads slide right into the gaps on the side of your nose and help maintain the seal. For those of us with noses that don't seem to fit the normal fit, this might be a great idea. He sent along the following instructions:

Materials:Shoestring or cord that can tie around head from bridge of nose to back of head below ears.Two beads about 0.5” diameter (depends on face shape) that slide with some friction on the shoelace.Bandana.

"I struggled with both this issue and my glasses slipping off my face when I wore them lower to avoid the fog. Now I wear a glasses leash and keep the glasses lower on my nose. The leash holds them in place and I don’t have any fog! My friend who teaches in Taiwan and wears disposable masks all the time suggests stapling folded tissue paper in the gaps near the top," says Carol.

So we've heard a few of these and I guess they can go into a few categories. Getting a better fit at the top, either with something like adhesive tape, tissue paper wedged in there, a better band with wire around the top, wearing the glasses a little lower or some kind of a coating. We ran across a few and there's yet another one from a company called Rx Anti-Fog. I'm guessing as optical shops begin to reopen in the Bay Area there's going to be an increased demand for glasses treated with some kind of optical coating.

My colleague Susan Leigh Taylor is pretty fond of eyeglasses. Out of all the people on the planet I know with glasses I don't know anybody with more pairs than Susan. You own what, 500 pairs of glasses?

Taylor: It's a lot. 

Bunger: (laughs) I know you love glasses. At one point someone said you can use Rain-X, that stuff that people put on their windshields. My glasses have anti-glare coating on them, I don't know if I should be messing around with something like that.

Taylor: Not only do I have a lot of glasses, I love my glasses and I am not willing to fool around with chemicals like that. In fact, you know the spray cleanser that a lot of times eyeglasses places give you, that contains alcohol and I won't even use that on my glasses because I don't want to do anything to possible damage them. So I just run them under water and clean them with a microfiber cloth. As far as preventing them from fogging, I'm with the folks who voted for a mask with a wire nose clip. I find that as long as I get the clip in the right position it prevents fogging. Although I will say my worst situation so far was the day that I wore a mask without a nose clip and my plastic sneeze guard over my head to the grocery store. Everything got so fogged up that eventually I just took everything off and was like Mr. Magoo stumbling around, not really seeing much of anything.

Bunger: So in your estimation then, the fit at the top of the nose - and this is what the researcher at Stanford who used the adhesive, which is apparently pretty common practice in lab and hospital environments - achieves the same purpose.

Taylor: Yeah if you can get that good fit above your nose - and a good clip will even come partway under your eyes - that to me prevents that moisture from going up and fogging up your glasses.