Caring for both your lenses and frames properly ensures clear vision along with comfortable wear. Additionally, extending the life of your affordable eyewear ensures that you get the most out of your money. To do this you should develop good habits for handling glasses, perform periodic maintenance, clean your glasses properly and schedule regular visits to the optician.
Handling
By handling your glasses gently your eyewear will not only last longer but will also feel more comfortable. To avoid twisting the frame out of shape, one of the most common ways to damage frames, use both hands to put on and take off glasses. Gently grab the ear pieces in the middle with equal pressure. To put them on, push them over your ears. To remove them, carefully slide them forward over your ears. Using this method will put the least amount of strain on the frames while preventing misalignment.
- Always close your frames before placing them on any type of surface.
- Never lay your glasses lens-side down.
- Store your glasses in a case when not being worn to prevent accidental scratching of the lens and do not place them in a purse or bag without proper protection.
While it might seem convenient to wear your glasses on top of your head when you do not need them, this practice can lead to misalignment of the frames.
Maintenance
Women’s eyewear and men’s eyewear will both last longer with proper maintenance. Check for loose screws and temple misalignment regularly. For quick repairs you can use a small eyeglass tool kit, which typically contains a screwdriver and various sizes of temple screws.
Perfume, hairspray and other personal care products can damage lens coatings and cosmetics will dirty the lenses so it is a good idea to avoid exposing your glasses to these things.
Inevitably your eyewear will bend out of shape. There are numerous personal variables that will determine how frequently you should have them adjusted, but a regular visit to the optician will keep them fitting properly. Glasses that do not fit properly can strain your eyes, interfere with vision correction and can create dangerous situations. Never try and bend your frames back into shape yourself.
Cleaning
Keeping your glasses clean will ensure that you fully benefit from the corrective power of the prescription. It also helps to prevent scratching of the lenses.
To clean your glasses properly start by running your lenses under warm running water. Next, dip them in soapy water and rub them gently with your fingers. Rinse the lenses to wash away dirt and oil. A gentle dishwashing liquid makes for a good cleaner or you can buy specialized cleaners. However you should avoid using household cleaners, disinfectants, acetone or soaps with cream as those can damage your lenses.
To dry the lenses use a clean, soft, lint-free cloth. Paper towels, tissues or old rags should not be used because they may have embedded dirt or could scratch your lenses. Microfiber cleaning cloths are a good choice because they are very gentle and machine washable.
The same techniques used on the lenses can be applied to the frames. The temples, in particular, need to be cleaned often because they are handled the most and the regular contact with the skin leads to the accumulation of oil and will slowly degrade the frame finish.
