Clear Vision with Face Masks: Solutions for Glasses Wearers

Two-thirds of American adults wear glasses to correct their vision at least some of the time. Fully 100 percent of them should consider wearing facial coverings to help fend off further spread of COVID-19. Stopping transmission of the coronavirus is a good goal, but it might come with one problem for all of us four-eyes out there: not being able to see clearly.

If you've gotten your hands on cloth or disposable paper face masks, you may already know that your breath can totally get totally in the way of your vision. There's no good tradeoff between the two, which means we all need solutions for keeping each other safe. Luckily, some reliable tips are already floating around social media. A Korean eye doctor already virally famous for his informational TikTok videos has come out with a coronavirus tip: Fold the top of your mask down, or insert a folded-up tissue inside the mask, to absorb excess moisture.

Mel Magazine has dug up another science-y solution from the Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England: "Immediately before wearing a face mask, wash the spectacles with soapy water and shake off the excess. Then, let the spectacles air dry or gently dry off the lenses with a soft tissue before putting them back on. Now the spectacle lenses should not mist up when the face mask is worn." It's allegedly an old theater trick, in which the film of soap left on your lenses deters fogging. Anyway, in a world where everything is filthy all the time, it has to be good to wash your things down more.