When simply moving outside in a cold day or salving over a hot stove, people who wear glasses have long suffered the frustration of steamed up lenses. However, these frustrating steamy moments which often occurred when lenses become warmer or colder than the air surrounding them, could now be beaten with the discovery of non-fogging glasses.
These lenses are coated with a material which is extra-attractive to water. When there gathers condensation, it becomes an invisible film rather than fog, leaving the lenses clear. The lenses known by the name of Optifog lenses were designed by Essilor, the French firm that created the world’s first varifocals.
It is believed that the new lenses will be of most benefit to cooks, sports enthusiasts such as runners and cyclists, and medics who wear face masks. According to a spokesman from Optifog lenses, anyone who wears spaces will be delighted to know there could be an end of the inconvenience and embarrassment of steamed-up lenses.
The research by manufacturing firm also found that nearly eighty percent of spectacle wearers find fogged lenses a problem when moving between indoor and outdoor temperatures. Some fifty percent are irritated by lenses steaming up when cooking and twenty-four percent find cloudy lenses a problem when exercising.
Optifog lenses are available forms such as single vision, varifocal and sun-lens. These lenses need to be sprayed with a chemical solution every week to keep the fog-repellent surface working. A survey of people trying out the lenses showed that eight in ten were happy with the technique they fend off the steam.
According to managing Essilor’s director Mike Kirkley, their researchers are dedicated to exploring ways to make wearing glasses a close as possible to natural vision. Optifog represents a significant advance towards achieving that goal. At best it is a bit of a pain, but it can also be dangerous if you are taking something out of the oven or cycling on the road.