Eyeglasses and masks

[LM K]

So, I've upgraded my mask and am now wearing KN95s.

I wear glasses, and my glasses fog up like crazy when wearing my KN95. I initially had this problem when I wore disposable masks, but figured out how to wear disposable masks without fogging my glasses up.

I've had no luck adjusting to my KN95. My glasses fog up like crazy. I use a lanyard with my masks; I have a small face and masks tend to be too loose. No matter how I adjust my mask, with/without a lanyard, my glasses fog up.

I use anti-fog wipes on my glasses, but they leave streaks, which is driving me nuts.

Any recommendations for an anti-fog product for glasses with an anti-reflective coating?

[Slim Cognito]

Keep a small pkg of tissue handy. When you need to do masks/glasses, fold one sheet of tissue into a thin strip, place it across the bridge of your nose under your mask. The tissue will absorb the moisture. (learned it from nurse SiL.)

[dan1100]

I have the same problem with the KN-95 and to a lesser extent with any ear mask.

I've pretty much have gone to the real 3M N95 that uses the back of the neck and back of the head straps. Everybody is different, but for me the difference in seal is night and day.

It does make bifocals totally useless, so I am switching glasses to read in public.

[northland10]

Keep a small pkg of tissue handy. When you need to do masks/glasses, fold one sheet of tissue into a thin strip, place it across the bridge of your nose under your mask. The tissue will absorb the moisture. (learned it from nurse SiL.)

I usually have one tome on Sunday morning's when I end up with the steaming, though only on the right side. I normally wear my mask nearly into my eye and the glasses forward, but the extra hard breathing from music-making sometimes causes an issue (reading music with one side steamed is no fun). I can sometimes fix it by tightening the right side (it is an over-the-ear mask but the loops are adjustable).

This mask is good for singing because the seam keeps the center away from the mouth.

[bill_g]

Keep a small pkg of tissue handy. When you need to do masks/glasses, fold one sheet of tissue into a thin strip, place it across the bridge of your nose under your mask. The tissue will absorb the moisture. (learned it from nurse SiL.)

Thx. I'll have to try that.

[pipistrelle]

Keep a small pkg of tissue handy. When you need to do masks/glasses, fold one sheet of tissue into a thin strip, place it across the bridge of your nose under your mask. The tissue will absorb the moisture. (learned it from nurse SiL.)

This has never worked for me. I’ve given up. The masks with metal strips help some.

[pipistrelle]

I have the same problem with the KN-95 and to a lesser extent with any ear mask.

I've pretty much have gone to the real 3M N95 that uses the back of the neck and back of the head straps. Everybody is different, but for me the difference in seal is night and day.

It does make bifocals totally useless, so I am switching glasses to read in public.

I have these and I still get some fogging even though they’re tight.

[Chilidog]

Try wearing a mask with both glasses AND hearing aids.

[Mr brolin]

I cheat......

During lock down the lenses in both my eyes went from "couple of specs, couple of years to ripen then we'll have a look" to "Ahhhhhh, i'll write an immediate referral to a surgeon"

Both lenses liquified, sucked out and replaced over a one week period

Now i suddenly have no need for the Mr Magoo's after mumble mumble years...First thing to make a difference.....no steaming up with a mask....

[keith]

I'm told that surgeons wrar masks that are taped down under the eyes so their glasses don't fog.

[Sam the Centipede]

Based on seeing patients and visitors struggling with Type IIR (blue surgical) masks in the hospital, the first step to possible happiness is bending the wire before putting it on. Fold (almost) completely at the center then fold back about 90° about 15 mm or ½ inch from the center. Then put the mask on slightly high up the nose, and pull into place.

As you pull and push the mask onto the nose the wire will spread to fit, and it's easier to get a tight (or tightish) fit by spreading out the white with the nose than by squeezing it with fingers when it's already on.

I'm not saying this cures the fogging problem, but a good fit can mitigate it. I don't get problems unless I step outside and the lenses themselves get cold and mist up on going back into the warm. We have to change masks frequently so it's not practical to do much more.

That's only me experience; others will have different advice.

[Lani]

I have a smallish face and struggled with foggy glasses and slipping masks. I found an article about some tips for smallish faces that recommended folding up the lowest tier of the pleated blue disposable mask (less height, better fit under the chin). Pinch the wire before putting on the mask. And twist the elastic strings once before putting them over the ears.

[Reddog]

I seemed to have some luck if by adjusting the glasses if the lenses were cold, (causing condensation from warm exhaled air), by setting the nosepads on the mask instead of directly on the bridge of the nose. My theory is that this allows more ambient air (lower humidity) to reach the rear of the lens.

I prefer the 3m 8210 myself, and always had a box of them around the house e.g. working in the attic. The supply dried up and 1 mask was selling for more than what I had paid for a box of 20. Just now the price has come back down to pre-covid levels, and available again. Worst thing about them is removing the strap while wearing a hat, hardhat.

I also have a PAPR (3M TR-800) that has no fogging problems at all, (inconvenient, yes, but better than breathing PbO dust). I need to get new filters for it, I couldn't get any a year ago, but the supply may have opened up since then. 3M had a global hold on items like that, reserving sales only for medical uses.

[noblepa]

I haven't used KN95's or other sophisticated masks, and I wear bifocals.

I've found that, by sliding my glasses down my nose, and not right up against my face, the fogging is decreased quite a bit. This does cause a little problem in that it effectively changes the optical properties of the reading portion. If I'm in a store and need to read a price tag, for example, I need to push them back in place.

[chancery]

Lifelong* glasses wearer and fog sufferer here.**

For what it's worth, I've found surgical masks and most cloth masks to create so much fog that I carry my glasses in my hand, popping them on when I need to read a sign or a label.

On the other hand, K94 masks are much better for me. YMMV
___
* Since I was eight or nine.

** Rain hoods are extremely prone to create fogging conditions, in my experience. Way back in the 1970s, the wonderful Sierra Designs, a pioneering manufacturer of outdoor equipment, addressed the problem by introducing a hoodless poncho with a drawstring collar, meant to be worn with a sou’wester hat. Great idea, I meant to get one, along with a sou’wester, but it wasn’t popular and didn't last long in the catalog.

I keep thinking about getting a sou’wester, but it's hard to know what to do with them when they're not on your head. I do have a cherished "crushable" rain hat, which serves pretty well.

[filly]

I found some good KN95 masks on Amazon that have good bendable nose pieces that greatly reduce the fogging issue. Thanks for this thread because it reminded me to order more. My new dentist gave us some super 3M KN95 masks but we are saving them for the plane trip home )if that ever happens).

[filly]

I found some good KN95 masks on Amazon that have good bendable nose pieces that greatly reduce the fogging issue. Thanks for this thread because it reminded me to order more. My new dentist gave us some super 3M KN95 masks but we are saving them for the plane trip home )if that ever happens).

Meant to type 94 instead of 95. Oxycodone. The 3M is only available to medical professionals.

[Reddog]

I found some good KN95 masks on Amazon that have good bendable nose pieces that greatly reduce the fogging issue. Thanks for this thread because it reminded me to order more. My new dentist gave us some super 3M KN95 masks but we are saving them for the plane trip home )if that ever happens).

Meant to type 94 instead of 95. Oxycodone. The 3M is only available to medical professionals.

I think 95 was correct to begin with. good link at 3m https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/personal-he ... -all-info/

I had used lens cleaning/coating products that caused the moisture to condense in larger particles so they didn't have the fogging effect. That would be similar to SCUBA products, (though I was taught to spit on the lens and rinse). I don't think anybody spits on their eyeglasses.

I can see why face size is problematic,(nose profile too). The problem is the masks are basically one-size-fits-all.

3M still lists N95 as available to Health Professionals, but I picked up a box of 20 at our local Minerds a few days ago, at a reasonable price. I haven't found anything better when working on the house, attic insulation, drywall, plaster/lath, scraping popcorn ceilings.

[dan1100]

I found some good KN95 masks on Amazon that have good bendable nose pieces that greatly reduce the fogging issue. Thanks for this thread because it reminded me to order more. My new dentist gave us some super 3M KN95 masks but we are saving them for the plane trip home )if that ever happens).

Meant to type 94 instead of 95. Oxycodone. The 3M is only available to medical professionals.

3M still lists N95 as available to Health Professionals, but I picked up a box of 20 at our local Minerds a few days ago, at a reasonable price. I haven't found anything better when working on the house, attic insulation, drywall, plaster/lath, scraping popcorn ceilings.

I bought 20 of the real 3M N95's on Amazon a couple of months ago.

[Frater I*I]

So I'll offer my advice here, but it might not work so well for all. In the Corps when were getting ready to head out to the firing range, we got an unscented, plain bar of soap. We we're told to rub the soap on the interior glass, then slowly wipe off until there was barley a film to the naked eye, never had a fog issue. Warning how ever, this was to keep the glasses from fogging up due to gas blow back from the rifle, yet I found it equally useful when I had to mask up in class.

Take it for what you will.

[Sam the Centipede]

One little consolation for those peering through misted lenses: that irritating barrier in front of your eyes helps keep virus particles in the air from settling in your eyeballs and possibly entering your body that way.

[Suranis]

I wear these multi-layer Cotton Masks made by a local Dress alteration shop. What I do is tuck the top of the mask under my glasses so the glasses trap the cotton between my nose and the glasses. Not only is that great for my nose, it stops the glasses misting up.

[LM K]

Thanks, y'all! This has been helpful!

I tried K95s. My right jaw was significantly damaged in a car accident 10 years ago. My jaw isn't stable enough to wear a K95.

Regarding masks purchased online. Most KN95s sold online are ineffective because sellers are being very misleading about the maker of their masks. According to the CDC, 60% of masks sold online are counterfeits.

Below are 2 articles by NYT. I didn't snip anything from the first article. I snipped some sections from the second article; NYT gives a long list of recommended masks, making the article incredibly long.

The articles are posted as spoilers for scrolling help.

► Show Spoiler

One year into the coronavirus pandemic, buying a heavy-duty medical mask online remains downright maddening.

The most coveted mask to keep safe against Covid-19 has been the N95, the gold standard for pandemic protection because of its tight fit and 95 percent efficiency in filtering airborne particles. Then there’s the KN95 from China, a mask for medical workers, which also offers high filtration and is somewhat looser fitting.

But these masks have been far from easy to buy on the internet. When the pandemic hit last year, they immediately became scarce as health care workers and governments rushed to obtain them. The demand was so intense that a gray market sprang up for them.

Yet even after supplies have improved, it is often not easy to find authentic N95s and KN95s online. That’s because there are few brand-name makers, so it can be hard to know which of the dozens of manufacturers are reliable. And counterfeiters continue to flood the market, even on trusted sites like Amazon.

The result is frequently frustration, when wearing a heavy-duty mask is more important than ever. Last week, federal health officials emphasized the need for all of us to have tightfitting masks because of new fast-spreading coronavirus variants.

“People don’t know what’s legit, and they don’t know which suppliers are legit,” said Anne Miller, an executive director of Project N95, a nonprofit that helps people buy protective coronavirus equipment. “We’ve had that issue since the very beginning of the pandemic.”

I recently spent hours comparing masks online and almost bought a pack of counterfeits on Amazon. Thankfully, I avoided falling into the trap and eventually found legitimate, high-quality masks from a trustworthy online retailer.

Along the way, I learned plenty about how to spot fraudulent mask listings and how to sidestep fake reviews. So here’s how to home in on real medical-grade masks that will keep you and your loved ones safe.

Pick a mask
My journey began on the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There I found charts of N95 and KN95 masks that the agency has tested, including the make, model number and filtration efficiency.

After some reading, I learned about the trade-offs between the two types of masks. The N95s typically have bands that strap over the back of your head, which is what makes them snug. They can be uncomfortable to wear for long periods.

The KN95s, which the Food and Drug Administration has approved for emergency use by health care workers, have ear loops for a tight fit that is slightly more comfortable than an N95. The downside is that the KN95 leaks a bit more air than an N95.

If you are often in high-risk areas like hospitals, N95s may be more suitable. But if you just need a protective mask for more casual use, like the occasional trip to the grocery store, KN95s are probably sufficient.

After doing the research, I decided a KN95 mask from Powecom, a Chinese brand, was best for my purposes. The mask scored 99 percent filtration efficiency in the C.D.C.’s tests.

From there, I visited Amazon, where I buy everything from dog food to batteries in the pandemic. That’s when things went awry.

Beware of Amazon
When I typed “Powecom KN95” into Amazon’s search box, the masks instantly popped up with a rating of 4.5 stars. I quickly clicked “Add to Cart.”

But before checking out, I scrolled down to read the reviews. There were about 130 — including a handful of one-star reviews from aggrieved buyers who said the masks were most likely fake. I emptied my shopping cart.

How had I almost bought a counterfeit? Saoud Khalifah, the founder of Fakespot, a company that offers tools to detect fake listings and reviews online, said a third-party seller had probably taken control of the product listing and sold fakes to make a quick buck.

“It’s a bit of a Wild West,” he said. “The normal consumers that shop on Amazon do not know that they just bought a fake mask. This is the biggest critical problem: You think it’s real, and suddenly you get sick.”

Mr. Khalifah presented other examples of questionable masks that were being sold on Amazon:

*A pack of 50 masks was highlighted on Amazon this week as the No. 1 new release in women’s fashion scarves. Obviously, masks are not scarves, which was a giveaway that something was off. The listing description also replaced all of the letter A’s with accented characters. This was a technique used to bypass Amazon’s fraud detection systems, Mr. Khalifah said. Amazon removed the listing after I called about it.

*Another pack of 20 masks looked attractive and was described as approved by the C.D.C. It even had positive reviews with an average of 4.4 stars. But the reviews revealed that most customers had received the masks for free, probably an incentive to leave positive feedback. One lukewarm review from someone who had paid for the product noted that the masks were “thin and very, very big.”

Mr. Khalifah’s software also detected that the reviewers of another pack of 100 masks, which had unanimous five-star ratings, had a history of writing promotional reviews for other brands.

Amazon said in a statement that it prohibits the sale of counterfeit products and invests to ensure its policy is followed. It said it had specific policies for N95 and KN95 masks, including a process for vetting inventory and taking action on those who sold fakes.

Amazon also said it had addressed the questionable Powecom mask that I nearly purchased, as well as the mask advertised as a scarf. It added that there was no evidence that the pack of 20 masks was counterfeited and did not comment on the pack of 100 masks.

Mr. Khalifah cautioned that the fakes he spotted on Amazon could just as easily be on websites for other big retailers, such as Walmart and eBay, that allow third-party sellers to ship products. To buy authentic masks, he said, I should take a less traditional approach to shopping online.

Order from an authorized source
Armed with this advice, I continued my search for the Powecom mask.

I visited the manufacturer’s website, which listed steps for verifying that a mask is real. That involved scanning a bar code on the package with a phone camera. Then I did a web search for the mask, which brought me to bonafidemasks.com, an online retailer that shows documentation stating that it is an authorized distributor of Powecom masks in the United States.

That was more reassuring. So I ordered a pack of 100 for $99. When the package arrived in the mail, I scanned the bar codes to confirm their authenticity. They were the real deal.

Another path I could have taken was to order masks directly from the manufacturer. Verified mask producers like DemeTech, in Miami, and Prestige Ameritech, in Texas, sell N95s through their websites.

But ordering directly from a manufacturer presents other challenges. Often you have to buy a large quantity to reduce the cost.

So what if you just want to buy a few to try on? Ms. Miller’s nonprofit Project N95 buys bulk orders of masks and breaks them up so people can buy smaller batches. “It’s a very painstaking process to go through,” she said.

No kidding.

Based on the article, I decided to look for KN95s from two companies only; Bonafidemasks and Project95. I purchased from BonafideMasks, iirc, because of price, shipping time, or availability.

I purchased Powecom KN95.

If anyone wants info on how to store used KN95 for reuse, just let me know.

Article 2.

► Show Spoiler

For this guide, we tracked down legitimate respirators and masks, as well as reliable retailers that sell them. We also tested the masks for fit, comfort, and (for those who want to layer up) compatibility with our cloth-mask picks. Besides consulting five scientists, five manufacturers, three importers, two retailers, an e-commerce expert, and two government agencies, we also tried on 23 respirators and 14 surgical-style masks ourselves. See what might work for you, adjust the fit as best you can, and chances are good that you’ll end up with a mask you can feel confident wearing for the times you need it most.
Recommended masks by type.

Searching for a reliable respirator or surgical-style mask for a decent price during a pandemic has been the most difficult shopping experience I’ve ever had. It’s like trying to find the last Lego Star Wars advent calendar three weeks before Christmas—but infinitely worse. Aside from navigating retailers that have long sold out or are price-gouging, you’re also contending with fraudulent sellers, fraudulent products, or both: The CDC reports that about 60% of KN95 masks sold in the US are fake. What’s more, there are sizing issues. Oh, and whatever you buy is typically nonrefundable.

As for disposable pleated masks, every neighborhood store and online vendor seems to sell them these days, but not all of them are actually surgical masks—just surgical-style, which is why they’re often a third or half the price of actual authorized surgical masks. The packaging on most simply says “face mask,” in which case you can’t expect the masks to filter like the kinds of masks that health-care workers wear in hospitals. In fact, Colorado State University’s L’Orange—who has tested thousands of masks, including our picks—told us the most egregious fails have come from surgical-style masks as opposed to respirators. Some have exhibited a mere 20% filtration rate on small particles, though most of them have demonstrated a slightly less shocking 70% to 80%. Others have appeared to be missing layers altogether, he said. One way to detect a fake is to hold it top side up under a dripping faucet: If the droplets soak in instead of completely beading up, it’s not a real surgical mask, which by default has some level of water resistance.

We decided to start out with retailers we trust, including Costco, CVS, and Office Depot. We also perused business-news articles online about US-based companies that are manufacturing or selling masks, or both. Virginia Tech’s Linsey Marr suggested buying directly from a reputable supplier whenever possible, not just whatever you find from a third-party seller (the fewer middlemen, the smaller the chance of mischief). So we checked out each company’s e-commerce sites and confirmed that each respirator or surgical mask of interest is included in one of the following:

-NIOSH’s list of approved N95 respirators.

-The FDA’s Personal Protective Equipment EUAs (emergency use authorizations) Appendix A list of surgical masks and foreign respirator manufacturers (which indicates the manufacturer submitted test reports demonstrating that the product met certain performance standards, including filtration efficiency, and the FDA recognized it). Although health-care workers are now advised to once again use only NIOSH-approved designs, these masks are still helpful in everyday settings.

-The FDA’s database of devices that have received 510(k) clearance.

-NIOSH’s International Respirator Assessments (with good results), which test US-sold, foreign-made respirators only (these tests aren’t the same as NIOSH approval, but they do give mask buyers a sense of the quality of the materials used).

The “same” mask sold by the same company can differ depending on the retailer.

Sometimes cross-checking wasn’t possible until we received the masks and found the product qualification certificate—the small slip of paper in the packaging that includes the details about the product and its manufacturer, which is usually half written in the language of the country the mask comes from. We also reached out to some of the manufacturers or the sellers to understand the vetting or manufacturing process, especially if we couldn’t find the manufacturing company on any of the above lists.

For masks sold on Amazon, we confirmed with the manufacturer that we had a legit link to the product it was selling, and if we couldn’t reach the manufacturer (and if the mask was sold out everywhere except Amazon), we checked that the mask was both sold and shipped directly by Amazon. Although this factor limits your choices perhaps unnecessarily, as Kathy Cummins, head of marketing and analytics at Hinge Global, pointed out, we like the assurance that a specific inventory of the product has been vetted by Amazon itself, and we appreciate that shipping by Amazon cuts out the middleman and ensures prompt delivery. A caveat: The “same” mask sold by the same company can differ depending on the retailer. For instance, masks manufactured by the Chinese company Winner Medical that we bought on Amazon consisted of thinner, less-soft mask material than we found on the Winner Medical masks once sold by CVS, despite their having the same product name (“Medical Face Mask”), standard certification (ASTM Level 1), and materials listed (“non-woven 66%; melt blown, 34%”) on the certification slips. Winner Medical confirmed to us that it designs masks specifically according to a client’s specifications while still ensuring the same protective effects.


When we’ve come across masks that fit and feel great, but that aren’t NIOSH-approved or FDA-cleared, we’ve sent samples to Colorado State University’s Center for Energy Development and Health for filtration efficiency and breathability testing.
More recommended masks by type.