6 Simple Tips for Taking Care of Your Glasses

For all the time and investment you make in finding the right pair of prescription eyeglasses, the last thing you want is for them to end up scratched or damaged a few weeks or months down the road!

Properly taking care of your glasses as soon as you receive them is a wise way to help guarantee clear vision and a lower risk of misfortune. Treat them as well as you would your actual eyes!

Thankfully, it does not take a ton of effort to treat your eyeglasses well. The hardest part might just be breaking old habits and developing better ones – but it’s worth it to stay diligent! Even behaviors that might seem perfectly innocuous can lead to your glasses degrading if you keep doing them over time.

Here are some easy tips for glasses care. And of course, if you have any further questions or need help with a problem concerning your eyewear, do not hesitate to reach out to us!

Use Your Glasses Case

If you’re switching to a new set of frames and lenses, we may put your previous glasses in the case that comes with them. But you shouldn’t just keep your old glasses in there. Your case is to provide a safe place for setting your new glasses when not in use!

When using a case, make sure your glasses are carefully folded and place them in the case with the lenses facing upward. Placing them in the case with lenses down presents a higher risk of scratching.

If a hard case is simply too bulky for your needs, a microfiber bag made for glasses can suffice. Just remember to practice common sense with how you carry it. A soft bag might protect your glasses from scratching, but will likely do little against loose items crashing against them in a purse or glove compartment. A hard case is much better for these situations.

A case not only helps keep your glasses protected from outside forces, but helps keep excess dust from building up on them overnight, too. Making good use of one is a win-win

Never Wipe Your Lenses if They’re Dry

We have all likely done this in a moment of weakness. There’s something on your lens, and you might not have immediate access to cleaning solution or water. Here comes the bottom of your shirt or a towel for a few quick wipes!

Even if your lenses look relatively free from debris, even tiny dust can still wear at your protective coating and cause scratches over time. Avoid dry wiping whenever you can.

A cleaning solution made for eyeglass lenses is always your best bet, but running your lenses under simple water will do in a pinch. Do not use any sort of cleaner that does not explicitly state it is made for cleaning glasses. It might contain chemicals (such as ammonia) that can eat away at your surface protection.

Always Use a Microfiber Cloth

Please, please never use a paper towel, napkin, or any other paper product whatsoever to clean your lenses! Paper of most any type is a highly textured surface and can easily scratch.

A microfiber cloth – which we often provide with new glasses – is the best fabric for cleaning lenses. Most shirts may contain rough fabrics that can scratch. And even if they are 100% cotton, they could still have been washed using detergents or fabric softeners that can be harmful to your protective coating.

Put On, Remove, and Grip Your Glasses Properly

Many people have a habit of removing their glasses with one hand, or holding them by one of the stems. Doing this can gradually weaken both the hinges and stems, causing damage.

Best practice for donning and removing your glasses is to always use both hands and slip them on or off in one straight motion toward or away from your face. The less strain you place on the hinges, the better integrity they’ll have over time and the more likely you can retain a comfortable fit.

When holding glasses for cleaning, the best place to do so is often firmly at the piece that crosses the bridge of your nose. This tends to be the most stable spot to avoid bending your frames in any way.

Don’t Put Your Glasses on Top of Your Head

One, this almost never looks as cool as it does on TV and in movies. Sorry.

But more importantly, you may be forcing your stems to adjust to a wider area of your head, which can once again throw their alignment off.

Don’t Leave Your Glasses Exposed

It’s easy to think nothing of leaving your glasses next to the sink or on the vanity as you get ready for the day, but these locations don’t often offer ideal conditions.

Sprays and liquids that are part of your daily routines can easily get onto your lenses. Not only might this muck them up, but chemicals in some products are liable to compromise the protective coating. (So much is about that protective coating!)

See to Taking Care of Your Eyewear

The more you integrate proper care techniques for your eyeglasses, the longer they are likely to work at their best for you – not only in providing clear vision, but a comfortable and reliable fit as well.

Of course, no matter your best intentions, sometimes accidents and troubles still happen nonetheless. If they do, or if you ever have any questions or concerns about your prescription eyeglasses, we’ll always be here to help!

Call us at (269) 668-5558 or fill out our online contact form at the bottom of this page to get in touch with our Mattawan office.