How the glasses don't fog up despite the mask

Lisa Vogel studied departmental journalism with a focus on medicine and biosciences at Ansbach University and deepened her journalistic knowledge in the master's degree in multimedia information and communication. This was followed by a traineeship in the editorial team. Since September 2020 she has been writing as a freelance journalist for

More posts by Lisa Vogel All content is checked by medical journalists.

People who wear glasses already have to struggle with fogged up glasses in the cold months. They feel the same when wearing mouth and nose protection. How do you keep a clear view despite the mask?

The mask fits, so do the glasses - but both seem to be incompatible with many people at the same time. The glasses fog up.

A simple physical phenomenon is hidden behind the clouded view: warm breathing air escapes through the breathing mask close to the glasses. The moisture in the air condenses on the colder glasses. The condensation droplets finally break the light and ensure that the view is restricted.

Mask must fit snugly

However, people who wear glasses can alleviate the problem with a few simple tricks. "The mask should fit as tightly as possible - especially the upper part directly under the glasses," explains Timm Koedel, pharmacist from Potsdam. This means that less breathing air flows to the glasses.

His advice: "With self-made masks, for example, you can sew in a bendable metal bracket that presses the fabric closer to the skin."

Wear glasses on the face mask

Another simple trick is to put the glasses on the mouth and nose protection so that the fabric lies underneath the glasses frame. Then the warm air you breathe flows past the glasses with a little more distance.

Rub glasses with mild soap

A home remedy for the glasses that Koedel believes also helps is mild liquid soap without alcohol. A small amount of this should be spread over the glasses with a fine cloth. After a short exposure time, the glasses are not rinsed, but only polished dry. Due to the thin soap film, the water in the breath can no longer settle on the glass. (lv / dpa)

Tags:  skin drugs anatomy