Looking after your Spectacles

Spectacles can be a pain to care for, what with smears, smudges, fingerprints, fogging... Ever wonder how to keep them in good repair so they'll last until your next eye examination ? Want to be able to see through them without the smudges? Read on.

1. Take them off using two hands, instead of one. This keeps the sides straight and in the correct alignment. Taking them off one-handed will invariably stretch one side out and cause them to slip. An experienced Dispensing Optician will know whether you are right or left handed if you remove your spectacles with one hand.

2. Don't put your glasses on the top of your head. This will distort the shape, and there's a greater chance of them falling off and getting damaged that way. It may look 'cool' but unfortunately does your spectacles no good at all.

3. Try not to push them up on your nose by sticking your finger on the nosepiece (right between your eyes) if they're metal. This causes stress on the nose pads, and the center part of the frame, and if they're any color but silver, it may wear the finish off them. This can be very conspicuous at that spot. Instead, grasp the lenses by putting your thumb at the bottom and fingers at the top, and then move them to where you want them to sit on your face.

4. Purchase a microfibre optical cleaning cloth. These are generally available at optometrists, chemists and supermarkets for a few pounds. To clean them, hold your glasses firmly in one hand. Rinse the glasses with clean water to remove any dust or dirt particles. Take the cloth in your preferred hand and gently rub both sides of each lenses until you can see no smudges. Breathe on them gently so that you can see any spots you missed in the fog, and wipe them quickly, before it evaporates.

Never use the following:

· Clothing - dirt trapped in the fibers can scratch the lenses.

· Paper towels or tissues - these fibers scratch lenses.

· A dirty microfiber cloth - when you're not using the microfiber cloth, put it in the spectacle case; if it collects dust, it'll scratch the lenses, rather than clean them.