For those of us who wear glasses, it’s universally known fact that clean, scratch-free lenses can make all the difference to your visual comfort! Scratches and smudges can be distracting and annoying at the best of times and unfortunately, it only takes one misstep to cause irreversible damage to your lenses. That’s why we let every single one of our patients know about all the tips and tricks to keep your lenses and glasses frames looking good as new whenever you pick up a new pair.
1. Use two hands to take glasses on and off
Using both hands will evenly distribute the force between both sides of your glasses. This will prevent one side from wearing out faster than the other, or any twisting or breakages of your frame.
Even the strongest frames can wear out and twist
2. Place glasses facing upwards
Keeping your lenses off surfaces like hard tables will prevent them from grazing or scratching.
3. Never put glasses on the chair, bed or floor
Although it can be convenient to momentarily set your glasses down next to you, this puts them at risk of being sat or stepped on! If possible, find a table, shelf or glasses case to store your glasses.
4. Never leave glasses anywhere hot
Heat can negatively affect your glasses in a number of ways. It can melt the coating on your lenses (which protects your lenses from scratching and glare); it can also warp the shape of your frame. Hot areas include anywhere under direct sunlight, in the car (especially in summer), or in a bag that is sitting in the sun e.g. at the beach!
5. Use lens cleaner to clean lenses
Sometimes when your lenses become oily, simply polishing them with a lens cloth isn’t enough to clean them, especially you have been to the beach. Lens cleaner spray acts as a ‘soap’ to give your lenses a thorough clean. Alternatively, you can use cold water and a drop of liquid soap. Just make sure to dry all joints, nose pads and screws to prevent corrosion!
Lens cleaners and bottle refills can be purchased at Grace & Vision Optometrist.
For the best effect, spray both sides of the lenses and dab dry with a tissue before polishing with a cloth
6. Ensure lens is not too wet before polishing
Because your lens cleaning cloth is made from microfibre material, it cannot absorb water well. That means if your lens is too wet, you’ll just end up pushing the water around and your lenses won’t get that crystal clear look!
Before polishing, use a soft tissue to gently wipe off excess moisture, while also getting rid of any traces of dirt or oil.
7. Never use your shirt or tissue paper to clean lenses
Your lens polishing cloth is made for just that, polishing lenses! The microfibre material buffs the lenses without scratching. Dry tissue paper or your clothing materials are a lot coarser and can leave fine scratches on your lenses.
8. Ultra-sonic deep clean
If you’d like to freshen up your glasses, come in store and ask one of our friendly staff for a free in-house ultra-sonic cleaning treatment. We also offer a free nose pad replacement service for frames that were purchased from us!
Following these steps will make a big difference to the lifetime of your frames and lenses, and keep them looking new for longer!