Determining the effects of eyewear fogging on visual task performance.

The effect of fog on eyewear was evaluated by having individuals perform a target detection task in environments that typically cause eyewear to fog while wearing either eyewear that had been treated with anti-fog coating, eyewear not treated, or no eyewear. Detection was higher with eyewear that had been treated with anti-fog coating compared to uncoated lenses and no difference was observed between wearing coated eyewear and wearing no eyewear. The study concluded that fogging of lenses has a significant effect on visual detection and the use of anti-fog coating is relatively effective. However, in environments where prolonged fogging occurs water droplets form on anti-fog coated lenses which disrupts visual performance in a manner similar to the fog it is trying to prevent. It is recommended that anti-fog coating be considered when purchasing protective eyewear, and a bench test be developed to assess the coatings applied to eyewear. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Ltd.