Thrive Global features an article written by Rock G. Positano, DPM, MSc, MPH, DSc, director of the non-surgical Foot and Ankle Service at HSS, discussing how to properly wear a face mask in the current environment to prevent physical injury.

Dr. Positano wrote there has been a recent influx of patients injuring their foot/ankle(s) due to falls, reporting of not being able to see properly due to the mask obscuring their depth of perception, disorienting them in the process, and causing them to misstep and injure themselves. He advised taking a few minutes to ensure your mask is put on correctly to keep yourself safe.

According to experts, the top part of the mask has a wire that runs along its length. Putting the mask on and simply letting it sit on top of one’s eyeglasses, even with the mask right side up will cause the lenses to fog up. Glasses must be taken off first, then as one loops the elastics over the ears, press down on the wire to bend and adapt it so that it will fit tightly over the bridge of the nose and all along the face. This will prevent air from leaking through and allow the mask to fit under the eyeglasses so they won’t fog up. If the mask is not properly positioned and one lens in your eyeglasses gets foggy there will be a loss of stereopsis. This depth perception allows us to intuitively gauge where to place our feet as we walk up or down a flight of stairs for instance, or step off a curb.

Read the full article at Thriveglobal.com.