Use These Four Tips to Keep Your Eye Glasses in Excellent Condition

The Vision Council determined that most people repurchase eye glasses every 2.2 years. With more than 50% of glasses costing somewhere between $100 and $149, needing to purchase new glasses on a more frequent basis can prove to be a great inconvenience, as well as costly. Whether you have worn glasses for your entire life, or are new to the experience, there are several things that you can do to make sure that your latest pair looks and feels new until the day that you choose to replace them.

Crystal Clear Lenses

Smudged and dirty lenses are not just troublesome, they can result in a damaged lens coating or harm to the integrity of the lens material itself. Always use an appropriate cloth to clean your lenses, and len-safe cleaning solutions. When there is a lot of dirt and grime, rinse your lenses with clean water first before cleaning. Otherwise, you risk grinding abrasive particles into your lenses. Eyewear professionals recommend the following:

• Micro-fiber cleaning cloths first and foremost; lint-free towels, or clean cotton when you’re in a bind.
• Optician recommended lens cleaners first and foremost; an ammonia free detergent, or mixture of rubbing alcohol and water when you can’t have the good stuff.

Stopping the Dreaded Slide

New glasses should fit perfectly. You can tell someone might be wearing an older pair when they constantly need to push their glasses back up to the bridge of their nose. Taking eye glasses off and putting them on the wrong way can put stress on the frames. Avoid storing your glasses on top of your head, or pulling them off of your face with one of the temple arms. Instead, grab your glasses by the nose bridge, or gently grasp the frames around the lenses.

Protect Your Glasses so That They May Continue to Serve

When you aren’t wearing your glasses, keep them in a case. This protects the lenses from scratches, and keeps your eye glasses from being inadvertently swept off of a table, or crushed, or suffering some combination of these events. If you are accident prone, and unlikely to follow these recommendations, then be sure to have a backup pair of prescription glasses on hand.

Risky Business

From experience, I can say that sticking your head out of the window of a moving car is an excellent way to lose your glasses on the highway, especially if you choose to look straight out, or towards the back of the car. Leaving eye glasses in a hot car is not recommended either. Boating is also a risky activity, unless you choose designer glasses designated for sporting. If you are going to be undertaking any high-speed activities, on or off of the water, you should have a good pair of sports glasses for the occasion.

When glasses are clean, and fitting properly, you almost don’t notice them. However, when lenses are smudged or scratched, or your frames have started to warp, you can feel like you might as well not be wearing any glasses at all for all the good that the damaged pair is doing you. Remember to keep your glasses cleaned with only recommended cloths and solutions, store your glasses safely, handle them carefully, and be aware of risky behaviors. With a little conscious effort, your glasses should look and feel like new for a long time.