Learning About The Benefits Of Contact Lenses and Eyeglasses

Anyone who wears eyeglasses knows that they can easily become smudged and take a little work to keep in perfectly clean condition. However, if you feel as though there's constantly a film over your lenses that you just can't seem to wash or wipe away, there's a good chance washing your glasses in the sink is to blame. Here's how it could be affecting your glasses.

Soap

When people wash their glasses, they tend to use soap to get it done. It's a reasonable idea: you need to break down the skin oils and dirt that can accumulate on glasses over time. Without breaking down these oils, your glasses will always look like they're a bit cloudy or foggy.

Unfortunately, most soaps aren't safe to use on glasses. They can break down the coatings on lenses and even damage certain types of lenses, depending on the contents of the soap.

Even if your soap does no harm, it may not fully wash off your lenses. Even a thin layer of soap film can make your vision look blurry and out of focus.

Water

Water isn't always perfect for lenses, either. Water often contain trace amounts of minerals and pollutants that aren't the best thing for lenses to come into contact with. If you have so-called hard water, it may be leaving your glasses looking less clean than you'd like. While you could skip using tap water and switch to bottled soft water, it's better to skip washing your glasses entirely and switching to a solution that's recommended by optometrists.

Solution

When it comes to keeping your glasses clean, there are two and only two things that should be in your arsenal: a glasses cleaning solution and a microfiber lens cloth.

Glasses cleaning solution is typically sold in small spray bottles at your eye doctor's office that evenly distribute the solution over the lenses. You don't have to rub it in; it's just there to help break down skin oils while leaving your lenses safe.

Once it's been on for a few seconds, you wipe it away with the microfiber lens cloth. Don't try to use something like a microfiber washcloth. While it's made out of the same material, it may be made out of thicker material that could harm your lenses.

With these two steps, you should be looking through crystal-clear lenses again. If you're still not happy with the way things look, it's possible that you don't have dirty lenses, but rather you need a new prescription. Your eye doctor can help you with that, too!

Cleaning your glasses properly will extend their use and help them to avoid scratching and damage to their lens coatings. Talk to an eye doctor if you have questions or need recommendations on glasses care products.