The Do’s and Don’ts of Your Prescription Eyeglasses

Prescription glasses can cost a lot more money than you might think. The first time you bought your glasses was probably quite a shock, especially if you went with a reputable optometrist in your area with good reviews. At the end of the day, a lot of work goes into prescription eyeglasses and when you consider how vital they are to your daily life, it’s hard to avoid the fact that you need these glasses and they are an essential expense to budget for.

So if you’ve recently acquired a pair of expensive eyeglasses, you’re probably thinking about how you can take better care of them. After all, nobody wants to damage, break or even scratch their expensive pair of eyeglasses. Perhaps you even opted for additional coatings to help reduce the chance of scratching your glasses, and maybe you have a sturdy frame that is made from stronger materials.

Whatever the case is, we understand the desire to protect your prescription eyeglasses, so here are a couple of tips on how you can take better care of them with this list of do’s and don’ts.

The don’ts of your eyewear

Let’s start by focusing on the things that you shouldn’t be doing with your eyeglasses. Since your glasses were likely very expensive and a huge monetary investment, it’s a good idea to be careful when using them. So here are some of the things you should avoid doing as much as possible.

• Try to avoid wiping your glasses with tissues and paper towels. This is because those materials are fairly rough and could cause scratches in the different types of coatings that your lenses use.

• Avoid wiping your lenses unless they are slightly damp or wet. The reason for this is because dust and debris could scratch your lenses if you wipe it with a dry cleaning cloth.

• Don’t use your own saliva to clean glasses. Many people do this just because their saliva is convenient. However, your saliva may contain oils or bacteria that could damage the lenses or erode the coating. Some people exhale on their glasses to create a bit of condensation, but this doesn’t get the glasses wet enough for cleaning. However, it’s not nearly as damaging and can be used to clean small smudges.

• Don’t use cleaning solutions on your glasses. Many lenses have different types of coatings that could be harmed when using things like bleach, window cleaner or even vinegar.

• Don’t put your glasses in your pocket or a bag without protection. This is a sure way to scratch your lenses or even damage the frames. Make absolutely sure that you protect your glasses with a case if you need to carry them around.

• Don’t leave your glasses in the sun. This is especially true for people that are driving and are prone to leaving their glasses on a hot dashboard. This could melt or warp the glasses if left unchecked in high temperatures.

• Don’t expose your glasses to cosmetics and sprays. A lot of people tend to leave their glasses on a vanity table or sink when they do their morning or nightly routine. Try to avoid this as sprays and splatter could soil your glasses.

• Don’t be rough with your glasses when taking them off. It’s normal to quickly grab your glasses to take them off, but you should be careful that you don’t bend them too much against your head when pulling them off as it could loosen the screws or bend the hinges further than they can go.

The do’s of your eyewear

Now let’s take a look at a couple of things that you should be doing in order to take care of your glasses.

• To clean your eyeglasses, use a bit of warm water with some dish detergent. This is generally considered the safest way to clean your glasses because the dish detergent won’t erode the coatings on your lenses and will gently clean off dirt and grime.

• When cleaning, dry your glasses with a clean and soft cloth. This can include a handkerchief or a microfiber cloth. This will ensure that you do not scratch the surface of your lenses and it will pick up all of the water to leave your glasses clean and dry.

• Consider investing in some high-quality microfiber cloths. These are excellent for drying your glasses and giving them a quick clean. They’re relatively inexpensive and you can reuse them over and over as long as you give them a good clean after a week or two.

• Invest in eyewear that is suitable for your needs. There are a lot of different additions you can add to your glasses when getting a prescription. For example, blue light glasses are great for people that use computers on a regular basis, and there are some glasses that can protect against glare, tinting themselves when you’re out in the sun.

• Pick a hard-shell case for your glasses that isn’t too big or small. While it can be tempting to get an oversized case for your glasses, you need to remember that they can bounce around inside of the case which could result in damage if you’re not careful. Instead, try to pick a hard-shell case that just about fits your glasses so there’s less movement inside.

• When setting glasses aside, place them with the lenses facing up. The last thing you want is to scratch the lenses on a surface like a wooden table. Make sure your lenses are facing upwards when you set them aside to protect them.

• Use both hands when taking off your glasses. It’s important to be gentle with your glasses as they are more fragile than you might think. Use both hands to take off your glasses and ensure that you’re not being too rough with them.

By following these do’s and don’ts, there’s a good chance that your eyeglasses will be protected for a long time so that you don’t have to replace them in the near future.