Simple solutions for the fogging of spectacles when wearing surgical masks

Abstract

During day-to-day wearing of surgical masks, especially in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, vision is hampered for health care workers who wear glasses due to fogging (Fig 1, A). Although there are various measures, such as hydrogel patches, that can be used to prevent fogging, 1 they may not be available or affordable in resource-poor settings.

How to Prevent Fogging of Spectacle Glasses When Wearing a Face Mask

“…& Pinching of wire/metal strip on the upper border of the mask for better fit. & Taping of upper border of mask to nose and facial skin with a porous adhesive tape or converting the eyewear to a filtered eye mask by creating vents sealed with N95 mask cutting [4]. & Cross-tying of the mask; tying upper tie first and below the year and then tying lower tie on the top of crown.…”

Avoiding Diagnostic Lens Fogging During the COVID-19 Era: Options to Consider [Letter]

“…Porous and hypoallergenic tapes can be used for patients with sweaty or sensitive skin. 3 This should be done by staff using disposable gloves and ensures that the patient wears the mask properly not only during the slit-lamp examination, but throughout the consultation. Lens fogging occurs when the warm water vapor condenses on the cooler surface of the lens and forms tiny light-scattering droplets.…”

Technique to Prevent Misting Spectacles on Wearing Mask

“…The misting occurs from the warm water vapour content condensing on the cooler surface of the lens, and forming tiny droplets that scatter the light and reduce the ability of the lens to transmit contrast.1 The droplets form because of the inherent surface tension between the water molecules. Washing the spectacles with soapy water leaves behind a thin surfactant film that reduces this surface tension and causes the water molecules to spread out evenly into a transparent layer [2]. This 'surfactant effect' is widely utilised to prevent misting of surfaces in many everyday situations.…”