How to Take Care of Glasses: Tips to Prevent Damage

Eyeglasses are essential for people who are dealing with vision problems. Eyeglasses help people with their day-to-day activities as they correct or improve one’s eyesight. But how to take care of glasses properly? 

Depending on the structure, shape, and focus of the glasses, these can address refractive errors such as:

Eyeglasses may also come in various types, depending on the needs of the person with vision problems.

Knowing how to take care of glasses is essential. As some of us frequently wear glasses for our daily activities, it is important to know how to keep them clean and safe for everyday wear. 

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Common Issues with Eyeglasses

Wearing eyeglasses can provide relief for people with vision problems, but it also comes with a challenge. Here are the common issues that are typically experienced by eyeglass-wearers:

Scratches

A scratch on our eyeglasses may be due to several factors. It includes the practice of wiping dry lenses, using rough materials like tissue or paper towels in rubbing lenses or putting eyeglasses inside the bag without its protective casing.

Damage in Anti-Reflective Coating

Anti-reflective coating in eyeglasses is beneficial in avoiding night glares and minimizing reflection on the glasses. This coating can be damaged by chemicals, such as ammonia, bleach, vinegar, hair spray, and perfume.

Loose and stretched frame

The eyeglasses that we use for a long time may wear out, resulting in a loose frame. Meanwhile, a stretched frame may be softened under direct heat. You may end up wearing eyeglasses that are much larger than your face.

Dirty lenses

The eyeglasses that we wear throughout the day may be prone to dust, dirt, and oil residue on the lenses.

Parts of the eyeglass have been broken

Some parts of our glasses may be damaged due to accidents. It may be the frame around the lens, the bridge, temples (arms beside the frame), and the nose pad. Other times, the lenses themselves may have scratches or cracks.

Choosing the wrong prescription

There’s a misconception that wearing eyeglasses that are not according to prescription will damage the eyes. It will not further damage the eyes. However, it might result in a temporary headache and may lead to discomfort due to blurry vision.

Worsening eye vision

Our eye vision may worsen over time. Thus, it is important to change one’s eye prescription and be provided with much stronger glasses whenever needed. In the case of cataract, new eyeglasses might not restore good vision anymore. Thus, surgery is more recommended.

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Tips in Taking Care of Eyeglasses

Cleaning our glasses is very important as it removes dirt and other substances that have accumulated on the lenses. We should also know how to properly store our glasses when not in use and what to do when a part of the glasses is broken. Here are some tips how to take care of glasses:

Cleaning eyeglasses 

1. Before cleaning your eyeglasses, keep your hands clean by washing your hands and drying them with a clean lint-free cloth.
2. Remove any debris on the lenses by rinsing it under flowing tepid tap water. Clean the lenses, edges, and other parts of the frame with a small drop of dishwashing liquid. Thoroughly rinse the lens, and ensure that all traces of soap will be washed out.
3. Water residue and dirt may still be present after washing. Shake the glasses gently to remove streaks of water. Wipe the lenses with a lint-free cloth that has not been washed with fabric softener. Wipe off remaining traces of dirt.
4. Avoid rubbing the lenses with rough surfaces like paper towels, tissues, and rugged clothing. You may use disposable cleaning wipes if you want to clean your eyeglasses quickly.
5. Avoid substances that contain acetone and cleaning solutions.
6. Avoid lubricating the lenses with saliva as the liquid from our mouth has germs and bacteria.

Storing Eyeglasses

Whenever not in use, properly store your eyeglasses in a hard-shell case that fits well with the size of your glasses. In addition, when placing on a surface, ensure that the lenses face upward.

Fixing Eyeglasses

There are ways to repair parts of your glasses that have been damaged:

1. The frame around the lens – Cover the lens with wax paper first after removing dirt from the broken parts. Apply bonding glue to the two broken pieces of the frame and hold them together for a minute. After that, let the glasses sit for another 15-20 minutes.
2. Broken arm (temple) – You can replace your lost screw with a screw from an eyeglass repair kit.
3. Nose pad – Much like for the broken arm, you can loosen the screw and remove the nose pad. Then replace it with a newer pad.

You need to have specific tools for you to be able to fix your broken eyeglasses. Otherwise, you need to bring it to legitimate eyewear repair services. However, multiple damages on the frame and cracked lenses may not be possible for repair. Thus, you need to replace your eyeglasses with new ones.

Key Takeaways

Eyeglasses are reliable tools for people with vision problems. However, glasses are prone to dust and dirt build-up, scratches, and other damage . Knowing how to take care of glasses can extend the typical life of your lenses. 

Learn more about Eye Care here.