After a long, unchallenged reign of the face, glasses have had to shuffle aside and make space for the mask - steadily becoming a staple accessory.
It is not the most comfortable coalition. Face masks send the breath upwards, quickly causing the glasses' lenses to fog up and causing discomfort and confusion.
Fortunately, medical journal Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons has laid out "a simple method" to prevent this, courtesy of two doctors whose advice has been needed by medical professionals.
This should certainly qualify it for trips to the corner shop...
1. Wash hands with soap and water before touching any face-wear
Sing happy birthday twice for fun.
2. Rinse the spectacles with soapy water
This will leave behind a thin surfactant film that reduces surface tension on the glasses. The effect of this is to spread out any condensation from your breath evenly across the lens, in what will form a transparent, even layer. Without reducing the surface tension on the glasses, moisture from your breath will form tiny droplets on the lens, refracting the light and thereby impairing visibility.
3. Dry the lenses
Do this carefully - shake off any excess water and either leave the glasses to air dry, or gently dry them with a tissue, towel or lens cloth.
4. You're good to go
Alternative methods
Should the surgeons' method fail you, here are a few other hacks you can try:
Refit your mask
You may notice that medical masks come with flexible metal strips that allow wearers to sculpt it to their face - a well-fitted face mask can help prevent misting. If your mask is missing this feature, you can simply sew in a piece of wire yourself: instead of buying wire, try using twist ties (as come with sandwich bags).
If you cannot sew (or source wire), you can also resort to tape. Taping a mask lightly to the bridge of your nose and along the cheekbones will seal it against escaping breath. Your breath will escape out the other edges of your mask, rather than upwards into your glasses (although there is a likelihood it will just get soggy).
Buy a spray
Alternatively, for a flash solution, you can buy anti-fog sprays and wipes. try C-o-M's Antifog Spray - £5.20, amazon.co.uk
It's worth noting that glasses with anti-glare or anti-smudge protection may not respond as effectively to these products: check the fineprint.
