How to clean eyeglasses properly

Clean eyeglass lenses are a vital factor in clear vision, smudgy lenses or scratched coatings cause blurry and uneven vision, making your eyes tired and further causing your vision to further deteriorate. Cleaning your glasses properly can not only protect your eyesight and maintain the clarity of your lenses but also prolong the life of your eyeglasses. Here are some easy tips to keep your lenses in top shape.

What to do -

1.Choose the right materials

Protecting your lens coatings is essential to lens care and optical functionality, so we should choose soft contact materials to avoid scratching them, for example, special glasses cleaning cloths or soft microfiber cloths, which often come with your glasses or glasses case. These materials are soft but can effectively remove stains without causing damage to lens coatings. Avoid using rough materials such as towels and paper towels, which may harm and leave scratches on your lens.

2.Rinse delicately

When rinsing your glasses, it is best to use natural tap water which will remove most of the dirt and impurities on the surface of the lens. If there are stubborn stains, you can add a few drops of a mild detergent, such as a fragrance-free hand sanitizer or a special eyeglass cleaning solution, and gently rub the lenses and frames with your fingertips. Finally, rinse the glasses again with tap water to remove the remaining detergent. Do not use cleaning agents that contain alcohol, acidic, or alkaline ingredients such as laundry detergent, soap, dishwashing liquid, or alcohol, as they may corrode and damage the lens coatings.

3.Wipe delicately

When wiping your lens using a soft cloth or your fingertips, it is important to be gentle and undertake a central movement from the center to the edges. Avoid using excessive force or brushing back and forth. If the stains remain, rinse with tap water and wipe again, or add a few drops of mild detergent to help.

What to avoid - 

Some common cleansing techniques that we use in other practices may seem helpful but harm your lenses. Let's look into what to avoid when it comes to cleaning eyeglasses.

• Avoid using hot water to clean your eyeglasses, as the heat can damage the lens coating or distort the structure of your frame.

• Avoid placing your lenses to touch on dirty surfaces, try to use suitable and protective cases to store your eyeglasses.

• Avoid frequently touching your lenses as this will increase stains, and leave a residue of oils on your hand

• Avoid using your clothes to wipe your lens. The content of the material may not be all soft, as lens coatings are much more sensitive to hard particles than we are. In addition, the clothes we are wearing may leave additional stains, resulting in further wiping.

Summary

Our glasses will inevitably accumulate dirt and stains and we often need to clean them. Whilst doing so, remember to use soft material and mild detergents, wiping the lens from the center to the edge. That being said, it is normal that lenses will ‘age’ which will leave the coating more fragile to damage and scratches, and sometimes will oxidize and darken to a yellow shade. In this case, the best practice to protect your vision is to change to a new pair at your latest prescription. Our online shop NextPair ships out in 48 hours and you can receive your new glasses in less than a week. Try out today here.