It’s incredible how a global pandemic has brought forth changes in our lives. I first heard the word ‘Mask’ in the eponymous Jim Carrey movie. Who knew it would become an integral part of OUR But alas! It was not to happen. So we ended up wearing the mask all the time. More so at offices and public places when work resumed. Surgical masks, N95, home – made cotton types, denims and silk, a mask in every type but none promised relief from its prolonged use. Much to the chagrin of every person, the mask quickly became the (forced) fashion staple. What ensued was a plethora of problems people faced. Apart from the confusion of not identifying people, you smiling at known faces and getting a blank stare in return, avoiding unwanted people and similar funny and not so funny situations, the more specific ones were-
- Suffocation
- Claustrophobia
- Sweating and the worst of all
- Fogging of glasses
The first three had really no respite since they are problems that are psychological and physiological. But the last one has irked people no end, me included. With numerous people wearing glasses every day, wearing a mask and stepping inside air-conditioned cabins resulted in a fogged spectacle, literally. Was there no cure for this problem? Well, don’t lose hope.
- When we put on a mask, the nostrils suck cool air from below and the warm air that comes out through the exhalation rises up. Through the small gap on the bridge of the nose, the air passes to the glasses and creates a fog when it hits cool surface. What is needed is to stop the warm air from rising. You can choose a mask that has a thick metal band on the nose that prevents the warm air from rising to the glasses. Many masks have air filters which can filter the exhaled air.
- Wearing the cotton mask on your face and the placing the glasses on it works sometimes if the mask is tight enough to not allow the warm air to reach the glasses. But you will need to remove the glasses every time you need to drink or eat something. You may not be able to tough either the mask or the glasses without sanitizing your hands every single time. If wearing mask is in itself a much-hated task, cleaning, sanitizing again and again is surely not going to go well with most.
- Fog is not new for drivers, especially at nights when it blurs an already challenged vision in the dark. Automakers have come up with anti fogging chemicals which when sprayed on the glass, don’t allow fog to accumulate over it. See if you can use the same for your glasses. Chemists and auto accessories shops routinely store such demisting sprays in aerosol cans. Yes, it would involve some amount of expense for the demisting sprays, but then the mask is here to stay for some more time and you cannot afford to get the glasses all fogged up, right? Read more....
