January 15, 2022
If you shape the little nose thingy on a mask to your nose, your glasses won't fog up
I will admit that being in a small exam room with someone whose mask is falling below their nose, makes me nervous. I have been known to help mold the nose piece of a surgical mask to the nose of the person wearing it so it fits better and doesn’t fall down. It also is the key to avoiding fogged glasses.
More and more data show that masks do protect from infection. They cut the distance the virus can travel. They have electrostatic charges that the virus will stick to. Masks are wearable and safe. Surgeons, physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and other health care providers have been wearing them non-stop for two years, and longer.
A side benefit to upgrading your mask to an N95, KN95, or K94 is that they have moldable wires that can fit closely to the nose. This prevents your breathing from fogging up your glasses. If your glasses get fogged up, try a different mask and bend that nose piece to fit the bridge of your nose. The masks do come in different shapes and sizes so trying different ones to find the best fit helps.
Masks are more available now. Just make sure that they are not counterfeit. There are some reliable websites to find them. These masks are also reusable unless they get contaminated, wet, or soiled. Just remember to take your mask off safely if you are around an infected person and then wash your hands. They work, even with Omicron.
Mask wearing is here to stay. This is one of the best ways to protect yourself from COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, like the flu and the common cold. Mask wearing can help us get through this phase and on to the next. I am hoping that will lead to us all getting together again after Omicron fades away.
Wash your hands, cover your nose (adjust that nose piece!), and stay safe.
And finally, my caveat is that this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available, and not related to the organization I work for. Thanks for reading.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/30/science/wear-mask-covid-particles-ul.html
https://www.nytimes.com/article/covid-masks-protection-stats.html
https://www.ucf.edu/news/face-masks-cut-distance-airborne-pathogens-could-travel-in-half-new-study-finds/
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/a-visual-guide-to-protective-masking-against-covid-19/
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/heres-how-often-you-can-reuse-kn95-or-n95-masks-and-how-to-safely-do-it/
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/where-to-buy-n95-kn95-masks-online/