Eyeglasses Maintenance 101: How to Keep Your Glasses in Top Condition

For those who wear eyeglasses, smudges and grime can be a nuisance. Still, many eyeglasses wearers will ignore cleaning their glasses in favor of spending those few minutes on other daily tasks. What they might not realize is that dirt and gunk can actually damage eyeglasses over time or even lead to physical effects such as acne or headaches. People don’t just keep their eyeglasses clean for looks; there’s a real reason to perform proper maintenance on your eyeglasses.

Dirty Eyeglasses Can Lead to Unwanted Effects

So, is it really that bad to never clean your eyeglasses? According to experts, even going one day without cleaning your eyeglasses might lead to unwanted physical effects. The most obvious factor is that you won’t be able to see as well, with even small quantities of dust or tiny smudges creating blur on the lenses and limiting the amount of light that can enter the eye.

Certain kinds of debris that lands on your eyeglasses might create scuffs or scratches, not only damaging them, but potentially harming your eyesight. Scratches can create blur or even glare which the wearer will have to deal with until they get a new pair of eyeglasses.

Furthermore, the dirt and oil that naturally builds on your face throughout the day is constantly transferred to whatever you’re wearing, including eyeglasses. If you aren’t cleaning your eyeglasses before you put them back on, you’re just putting that buildup right back on your face, potentially leading to skin irritation or breakouts. As an extension of this issue, dirty eyeglasses might even hold onto infectious bacteria.

What You Might Need to Clean Your Glasses

Whether you’ve just started planning to buy glasses online or you’ve already gone through a few pairs, there are a few useful products out there which you might add to your cart. Though it typically comes with an eyeglasses case, a microfiber cloth is essential for proper eyeglasses maintenance and should be regularly replaced. This cloth can handle typical buildup, but lens cleaning wipes and eyeglasses cleaning sprays can be useful. When eyeglasses get really dirty, though, soap and water is the way to go.

How to Best Clean Your Glasses

If a quick wipedown with a microfiber cloth doesn’t do the trick, you’ll have to go for a more in-depth cleaning. Start by rinsing your eyeglasses with lukewarm water to remove any particles which might be able to scratch your lenses. Then, apply a small amount of dish soap to your fingertips, gently rub it on the lenses and the frame, and rinse your eyeglasses with warm water. Afterward, dry them with a clean microfiber cloth, your shirt won’t do.

Other Ways of Preventing Damage

Besides regularly and properly cleaning your glasses, there are a few other ways to extend your eyeglasses lifespan for a while longer. First and foremost, keep your eyeglasses in a case when they aren’t being used. This will help prevent scratches, protect the frame, and keep them from naturally accumulating dust. If you don’t keep them in a case, never store them with the lenses facing down, since this will gradually damage your eyeglasses. It is important to note that high heat can lead to frame warping, so eyeglasses should be stored in a cool place when not in use.

When Do You Need New Glasses?

Outside of damage to the lenses, which is always a sign that you need new eyeglasses, there are a few other ways to tell. If your vision feels more blurry than usual, if you get more frequent headaches while wearing your eyeglasses, or find yourself squinting at computer screens, these are all good signs to update your prescription. Keeping your eyeglasses clean will ensure that these signs are caused by the lenses themselves, rather than the buildup of dirt and grime.