How to look after your glasses

If you think your glasses can resist anything, think again. There are certain things that are really not a good idea. You should stop cleaning them with paper towel right now, for example. It scratches the lenses and reduces their transparency. Here’s what you should be doing to take care of your glasses and increase their life expectancy.

1. Keep your glasses in a case

It might seem obvious but we’re all guilty of leaving our glasses lying around. Our advice? Get a rigid case: it will protect your glasses much more effectively than soft ones which barely resist being knocked about by the other things in your bag. Get into the habit of putting your glasses away in a rigid, clean case every time you take them off and you’ll avoid a multitude of scratches and breakages.

2. Avoid heat

It’s the middle of summer, you head out to do your shopping, take off your sunglasses and leave them on the dashboard. But beware: the shock caused by the heat can damage the lenses’ treatments and alter the view, especially if they are adapted to your vision. It’s the same thing for spectacles.

3. Use specially-adapted cleaning products

We’re always so busy that when it comes to cleaning our glasses, we often just grab the first product that comes to hand. But it’s important to avoid any cleaning product or disinfectant that could damage your lenses. Use only the product sold by your optician and if you don’t have any, cold water and a bit of soap is the next best thing.

4. Use a specially-created cloth

Once you’ve cleaned your glasses with cold water and soap, don’t be tempted to reach for a paper towel. They contain glass fibers that can scratch your lenses. For perfectly clean and scratch-free lenses, use only the cloth provided with your glasses. Never dry your glasses on your clothes as they also contain fibers that can damage your lenses.

5. Don’t leave your glasses lenses-side-down

To avoid scratches when you take your glasses off, take care to fold the arms down and never leave them resting on the lenses.

6. Don’t hang your glasses from your clothes

After a long day of wearing glasses, sometimes you just need to them off. But where do you put them? If you hook yours inside your collar or put them in your jacket pocket, stop. Brushing against the fabric and buttons of our clothes can do a lot of damage.

7. Never leave your glasses in the sand

This piece of advice might only be relevant when you’re at the beach, but it needs saying. Grains of sand on your lenses will scratch them, especially when you then try to wipe them off with your cloth. Go back to step one and put your glasses safely away in their case.

8. Take your glasses to your optician

If the arms are too tight or too long or if you just can’t get the lenses clean, don’t try and do everything yourself and risk damaging your glasses. Make an appointment with your optician so that they can clean them with ultrasound and tighten or loosen the arms.

Written by Josh Arnold