5 Effective Ways to Stop Your Glasses and Goggles Fogging

These simple methods will help you escape the dread of foggy glasses once and for all.

Fogging glasses are a huge annoyance, especially when it happens constantly. 

The equivalent of trying to bat away a bee with a handkerchief, foggy sports glasses can make your experience of cycling, running, climbing or doing anything sport-related irritating and demoralizing.

A Sight For Sport Eyes wants you to enjoy your sporting passions undeterred. Therefore, this guide helps you understand why eyewear fogging happens and tips to solve it.  

Contents:

• What is Fogging?
• How to Stop Your Glasses (and Goggles) Fogging?

Let’s start with the basics…

WHAT IS FOGGING?

‘Fogging’ describes the buildup of the misty, moist substance covering your eyewear’s lenses (usually at the most inappropriate time). 

Your glasses ‘fog up’ due to condensation. Condensation is the process in which gases transform into water, when warm water vapors hit a cool surface. The resultant fog often appears white-colored or transparent.

The Science Behind It  

All matter – solids, liquids and gases – consists of molecules. Gas molecules contain the most heat, energy and movement. As the warm air touches the cool surface, the gas loses thermal energy, while the molecules slow down and become more static. When the gas molecules lose too much energy, it changes into a liquid. This can happen at any temperature, if the gas is warmer than the surface it meets.

How Does This Relate To My Glasses?

Your glasses are a prime area for condensation as the moist heat produced from your face, breath and, even, sweat beam onto your colder lenses.

Your body is constantly giving off heat, thanks to the brain’s hypothalamus – your internal thermometer – using the nerves to keep the body temperature around 98.6°F (37°C). By comparison, your plastic, rubber or metallic eyewear are significantly cooler.

During exercise, your body heat rises,  as the heart rate increases and muscles work intensely. Your skin glands are prompted to release sweat on your body’s surface to flush away the heat and cool it down.

The difference in temperature between your glasses and body, as well as added moisture from your sweat and breath provide prime conditions for fog to build up on your glasses.

The Environmental Factors

Let’s say, you’re only a few minutes into your morning run, cycle or outdoor swim for the day. The weather conditions are likely to dictate whether your eyewear fogs or not.

In the depths of winter, with low temperatures, your glasses are likely to chill to well-below your body temperature – causing the perfect conditions for fog. The likelihood surges, if you’re constantly moving between warm and cold environments.

Even if the weather is warmer, but high in humidity, foggy sports glasses are still likely. Large amounts of water vapor surrounding your face mean that an even lower temperature difference between the body and glasses would be necessary to create fog. Likewise, during rain, it is common for water to fall directly onto your glasses, both cooling down the lenses and creating a smudgy, opaque fog.  

Fogging Can Be Dangerous

Whether you’re cycling down a busy street, running through a crowd or ascending a steep climb, the uncomfortable and disorientating nature of your foggy sports glasses can be a serious safety hazard.

Unable to see much, it is easy to be determined to flick and thumb away the fog on your lenses. All-the-while your attention is being lost on your surroundings, which is a recipe for disaster.

For some, the irritation may be so intense that they decide to remove their sports glasses or goggles for relief and to see clearly. This can be dangerous, as this leaves your eyes more vulnerable to injury.

Most of the nearly 30,000 sports-related eye injuries treated in US every year were as a result of a lack of protective eyewear. In fact, the American Academy of Ophthalmology states sports glasses could prevent 90% of serious eye injuries. Ultimately, safety is of paramount importance.

HOW TO STOP YOUR GLASSES FROM FOGGING DURING SPORTS

1. Invest in Anti-Fogging Sports Eyewear

Thankfully, due to the advances in today’s technology, there is a wealth of great anti-fog sports glasses and goggles available to sports enthusiasts.

Top anti-fog eyewear is distinctive for the use of fog-resistant lenses and a hydrophobic coating to repel water and sweat.

During the manufacturing process, the lenses are treated with special coverings that function by thwarting the build up of water vapor around your glasses.  This is particularly useful if you are naturally very hot and sweaty.

Anti-fog eyewear designed with vents to enable allow air to move freely is recommended, especially for ski or snowboard fans. Ideally, you want goggles with a variety of vents and air pathways to keep fresh cool air coming in and out, keeping away moisture and heat from your face.

Unfortunately, there are limitations to anti-fog glasses. For some people, anti-fog lenses don’t work. For others, the fog doesn’t last forever.

Over time, the antifog coating wears away and after long, consistent usage the antifog coating may disappear from your glasses.

Check out A Sight For Sport Eyes’ leading range of specialized Anti-Fog eyewear:

• Use Anti-Fog Spray

With a quick splash and wipe of the lenses, anti-fogging spray adds a chemical solution made to repel water and fog. The sprays work very quickly on concentrated target areas of your glasses.

Easy to use and often inexpensive to purchase, anti-fog spray can be carried in your bag and used when you feel your lenses need a clean.

There are three main steps to using most anti-fog eyewear sprays. First, clean the surface of the lenses, then apply the solution evenly across the affected area, and then watch as the spray dries up to create a strong coating. Simple!

The main problems with anti-fog sprays are that the effect doesn’t last very long and regular spraying is often required, making it a hassle if you need it mid-way through a game.

Check out A Sight For Sport Eyes’ range of reliable anti-fog sprays.

• Get Your Glasses Adjusted

Avoiding sports eyewear that fits too tightly to your face during activity is highly recommended.

Glasses that are too snug heighten the likelihood of your glasses fogging up, as the closeness to your face decreases the amount of air able to flow through and blow away heat and moisture.  

Therefore, if you’re buying new sports specs, look for ones enabling effective air flow around the lenses, or adjustable nose and arms pieces to fit your face shape and features.

Some eye doctors, also known as an optometrist, offer glasses readjustments, repositioning the frames to sit further away from your face to boost air circulation.

Check out A Sight For Sport Eyes’ leading range of sports glasses.

• Make Sure Eyewear is Clean

Over time your glasses and goggles will attract little bits of dirt and a few scratches. However, by using wipes, or a bit of hot water and soap, to frequently clean away any remnants you can ensure your eyewear withstands fogging for much longer.

Scratches and smudges can be particularly harmful. Once they buildup over time, they can be difficult to remove, and give you a muffled, ‘dirty’ lens.

Anti-fog wipes are your safest option as they should not harm your glasses’ anti-glare or photochromic coatings.

• Wear Appropriate Clothing and Accessories (such as Headband)

Wearing the right attire during sporting activity can make a world of difference to both your sporting performance and eyewear fogging.

The key to anti-fogging is ensuring that air isn’t being trapped around the face and that the temperature difference between it and the glasses doesn’t increase. Also, you will want to avoid sweating.

You’re recommended to avoid piling on clothes around your head, neck and anywhere else around the glasses. Even top athletes who wear face masks or coverings, they ensure to wear the type stitched to efficiently let the air pass through.

Fogging glasses is an on-going challenge for many of us. Let us know in the comment section, if you tried any of these tips and how they have worked out for you.

For more information: https://www.sporteyes.com/