Taking Care of Eyeglasses

Patients should understand the need for care and cleaning of their glasses. Most of the time patients come to the eyecare professional wearing a dirty, scratched pair of glasses that causes blurred vision. Every spectacle wearer should follow some rules for the maintenance of eyeglasses.

1. The frames should be kept clean. Overtime grease and dirt collects on the frames and the lenses. Best way to remove the grease and dirt by washing in soapy lukewarm water. DO NOT USE HOT WATER to wash your eyeglasses. Spectacle lenses should not be cleaned or polished when they are dry, because they may become scratched. You can clean the lenses with lint free microfiber cloth. 
   
   
2. Most lenses are coated with scratch-resistant or anti reflective coating and should not be cleaned with anything containing alcohol or ammonia; these chemicals can wear away coatings.
   
   
3. When not in use, spectacles should be kept in their case. If this is not possible, they should be laid so that they are supported by the folding side pieces or left standing on their rims.
   
   
4. Spectacles should be removed by taking them off with both hands, holding them firmly and close to the hinges. Removing them with one hand causes the frame to bend out of shape or even break.
   
   
5. Eyeglasses should not be resting on the head. By doing this your eyeglasses or sunglasses would flare out and lose their shape.
   
   
6. During the winter, lenses frequently mist over and blur vision. Fog-resistant coatings are available, but not recommended because they must be reapplied regularly.
   
   
7. In hardened lenses the surface compression layer is only 0.003 or 0.004 inch (0.008 or 0.01 cm) in depth, and a fairly deep scratch could exceed this and thus weaken the safety feature of the lens.
   
   
8. Do not leave your glasses near the heat or in your car if it’s parked under the sun because the coatings of the lenses are affected with the heat and can cause crazing of lenses.
   
   
9. Screws in glasses may become loose. Check them when cleaning, and if the lens moves within the frame, go to an optician, who can help you tighten and adjust the frames. Regular visits to the optician for cleaning and adjustment of frames will help keep glasses in the best condition over time.