How can I clean my glasses ?

One of the most commonly heard questions within the opticians practice is ' How can I clean my glasses?'. Patients use a variety of substitutes to clean their spectacles. By substitutes I mean such favorites as Clothing , Dish Soap, Glass Cleaners,Tissue/Paper Products and Alcohol.

What we ought to remember is that we often have made a sizeable investment in our eyewear and they deserve to be looked after appropriately.

Improper cleaning of spectacle lenses may damage the lenses resulting in scratches, haziness and peeling of coatings. Damaged lenses in turn may affect visual clarity or even induce eyestrain.

DO NOT

Use paper products or clothing - the fine particles of dirt trapped within clothing fibres can cause fine scratches on lens surfaces. Tissue/Paper Products often, because they are a derivitive of wood, have tiny fibres which again will cause scratches to the lens surface.

DO NOT

Use glass cleaners as these tend to be corrosive and you are likely to destroy your coating quickly. Glass is rarely used in ophthalmic lenses these days, the vast majority are resin (plastic) materials which offer superior performance both in terms of weight and safety.

DO NOT

Use Dish Soap/Washing up liquid. Some mild washing up liquid may appear not to cause any harm to spectacle lenses. These cleaners however contain a surfactant cleaning agent designed to remove contaminants from surfaces. Anything designed to remove 'grime' will also have a detrimental affect on your lens coating and is likely also to remove that over time.

DO NOT

Use alcohol. Alcohol based cleaners are somtimes used to remove ink marks left on your lenses after they have passed through the cutting stage. Long term use of pure alcohol will however damage your coatings.

DO

Use a cleaner developed for the purpose of cleaning lenses and use with a clean lens cloth.

DO

Use both hands when putting on or removing glasses. The most common form of frame misalignment occurs when one hand is used. Experienced Dispensing Opticians will know if you use one hand to remove your glasses and will even from your glasses be able to tell which hand you use !.

Always

Store glasses in the case provided for storage

IF IN DOUBT ASK IN PRACTICE WHICH CLEANING PRODUCT IS MOST SUITABLE FOR YOUR SPECTACLES