Glasses…

My experience matches yours…. all the mumbo-jumbo might help a little bit but doesn't solve the problem. If I am going to be doing any sort of hard aerobic exercise then I wear contacts.

I don't remember what life was like without them. You just put up with it. In the winter goggles can help but unless it's super cold you just look like a dork. Well…with over-the-glasses goggles frames you look like a dork regardless.

Rub a small drop of laundry wool wash onto both sides of the lenses to form a thin film and allow to dry. I find this reduces fogging in wet and foggy/misty conditions.

Wool wash works because it contains anionic molecules that repel water.

I wear glasses and have never had an issue with glasses fogging. Is this a humid weather thing?

No knowledge of different types of lenses, but a good friend of mine who was an avid hockey player and continues to coach (read: spends lots of time in cold ice rinks) swears by spraying pledge on plexiglass face shields and glasses. He says its the longest lasting and best treatment he's come by (after trying all the sprays they sell in pro-shops everywhere).

Hope that helps.

Slightly OT.

I appreciate the cynicism re the coating. But: Crizal coatings are worth the money in my experience. I make a habit to purchase the best, hardest coating I can from my optometrist, and three years ago got my first Crizal coating. First time I haven't had to throw away my glasses due to scratches within a year or two. They still look close to new. And I send plenty of dirt and metal shavings their way.

Have never experienced the fogging problem other than when I open the dishwasher too soon, so can't help there, sorry.

I wear progressive lens glasses. When backpacking I can get by with a compact pair of dime store reading glasses — a very light pair. Whenever possible (when not backpacking) I don't wear the glasses and my eyes get stronger when looking at things in the distance. If I wear them day after day, all day, I can't see anything at a distance. nothing helps to see things close up. I have to use glasses.

So I exercise my eyes by not wearing glasses whenever possible. It works for me, you mileage may vary.

del

Rick,

This has been the case with my last 4 pair of glasses over the past 10 years from 4 different eye Docs.

My vision for distances has actually gotten better over the past 15 years. Reading is another matter :)

My hearing has gotten to the point where I really need hearing aids, but then I would be able to actually hear my wife, so I have deferred that purchase as long as I can.

My hair is being pulled out of my scalp by my brain, and it is pushing the hair out of my ears and nose.

But all of it doesn't matter. Life is good. I don't need Viagra yet :)

I don't have much trouble with my glasses fogging while backpacking, but definitely while whitewater rafting.

On the river, I wash my glasses frequently with clean(ish) water to clear the fog, then wipe most of the drops off with my fingers. Having your glasses firmly strapped to your head so they don't come off in a "swim" complicates the wash-and-wipe maneuvers, too. Less than ideal, but a whole lot easier to see through a few random drops than continuous fog.

And the consensus of most boaters I know is the same as your experience: none of the commercial no-fog formulas really work.

Some people swear by spitting into their glasses and wiping that around. Didn't work for me, and counterproductive right after breakfast or lunch :-)

As others have pointed out, glasses with more room for ventilation, fog much less than others in my experience. Those can be hard to find, but definitely worth considering.

Never heard some of the other suggestions: Woolite? Pledge?

— Rex

Nick, I agree about "the hair problem".

And, like you, I haven't ever needed Viagra and I'm 70 now.

But the one thing I swear by is NO2 RED from GNC. It's time-released L-Arginine and creates nitric oxide in your blood which, like Cialis and Viagra, dialates your venous walls. I use it for high altitude backpacking and skiing and for weight lifting. And boy does it work! When I ski without it I can tell the difference.

Just sayin'…

Where were we now, oh, GLASSES. Well I use Cat Crap and no-fog cloths and get by OK wearing them under ski goggles. I get some fogging but it's 50% less.

"My hearing has gotten to the point where I really need hearing aids, but then I would be able to actually hear my wife, so I have deferred that purchase as long as I can."

That's why we get along! You couldn't hear all the rebuttals I had to your crazy libertarian capitalist ramblings. :)

Are you using glass lenses or plastic lenses? Polycarbonite sounds like plastic.

I don't have much trouble with glass lenses.

–B.G.–

The Cryzal Alize coating is like a DWR finish for glasses. It makes moisture bead up and tends to float junk off the lenses, much easier — just like a DWR finish makes fabric more stain-reppellent.

I don't think it is sold as anti-fog coating.

The only time I have problems with glasses fogging is when I'm wearing a balaclava over my nose and mouth. I tend to deal with it by uncovering my nose when I'm actually walking and warming it up when I stop and I really don't need to see anything…