IMPACT OF N 95 MASKS ON QUALITY OF VISION IN SPECTACLE USERS

Abstract

Introduction: wearing masks for a prolonged amount of time can decrease work efciency by causing a host of physiological or psychological problems. The use of masks, in particular, for extended periods of time causes physical adverse effects such as difculty breathing, mask-induced acne, rashes, headache and sometimes, impaired cognition. Objectives: To assess the impact of using N95 masks by a part of the population using spectacles. Materials and Methods:After taking informed consent, 270 spectacles and mask users were enrolled for this single centre, questionnaire based, cross-sectional observational study. Results: A large proportion (70.2%) of the respondents complained of fogging of spectacle lens on wearing N95 masks which impaired their vision to variable extent and also impaired the daily activity. Conclusion: This study identied the impact of N95 masks on quality of vision in spectacle users and various recommendations are presented for prevention and management of these adverse effects.