Optical

Proper Care of Your Eyewear

Proper care of eyewear isn’t rocket science, however many of us choose to employ other, more creative methods to clean our glasses. Another very important, yet often overlooked aspect of caring for eyewear is proper storage. Following the suggestions for proper cleaning and storage below can extend the life of your lenses and be sure you have the clearest view possible.

Cleaning

Windex is for windows, not for your glasses! But do you know why it’s not good to use Windex on your glasses? Don’t feel bad if you don’t know the answer, most people don’t. Most lenses have protective coatings added such as UV or anti-glare. Cleaners containing ammonia, bleach or vinegar can strip away these coatings…coatings you pay extra $$ for.

So what should you use to clean fingerprints, dirt, make-up and other random goo that may end-up on your lenses? The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends warm water and dish soap. If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. If dish soap and warm water can clean pretty much anything (food, grease, and lipstick) from your finest china and stemware, why not from your eyewear? All it takes is a drop of dish soap on your finger mixed with warm water (we recommend removing your glasses before doing this), create a lather on the lens, then rinse. Be sure to give the nose and ear pieces of your frames equal attention when cleaning. Use a dry, clean, soft cotton cloth to wipe dry. The AOA recommends daily cleaning of your eyewear using this method.

The necessity for in-between cleaning of your eyeglass lenses is inevitable. Natural oils from the face, eyelashes, fingerprints and airborne debris can leave regular build-up on lenses. As it turns out, a sink, clean water, dish soap and a clean soft cotton cloth are not always readily available. So what should you do when you can’t do what you’re supposed to do? Invest in a soft microfiber cloth (preferably one specifically for lens cleaning purposes) and keep it in your purse or desk drawer for these occasions. A majority of lenses today are made with plastic, which scratches easily. Once you scratch the lens, the scratch is there forever and cannot be buffed out, so the choice of what is used to clean your lenses is an important one. Obviously using anything abrasive will scratch the surface of the lens and achieve undesired results. Kleenex, your sleeve, paper towels and napkins are not recommended as they can leave debris or lint on the lens. Using saliva isn’t recommended either. First, it’s just gross and second, its’ not effective. Using a microfiber cloth will not leave debris, removes residue very well without scratching and isn’t gross. Microfiber cloths made just for eyewear cleaning are inexpensive and can be purchased at retailers where eyewear or eyewear accessories are sold.

Storage

In terms of storage method, most eyewear retailers provide some type of storage case with purchase. A hard case, sometimes called a clamshell case, is your best bet. If your eyewear did not come with a case or came only with a soft case, hard cases of all shapes, sizes, colors, and prices are readily available online, or at retailers where eyewear is sold. When purchasing a hard case it’s best to take your glasses along to be sure they will fit properly inside the case, or take measurements when purchasing online. Once you have your case, use it. When stored in a hard case, eyewear is protected against the elements and anything that could be flying through the air like, dog slobber, people slobber, spaghetti sauce, hairspray, and beverages.

The best location to store eyewear is going to vary from person to person because everyone’s environment is going to be different. Common sense is a good guide to follow when choosing the location to store your eyewear. Some examples of storage locations that are not recommended: driveway, fireplace mantle, stovetop, back of the toilette, the floor and dashboard of your vehicle. Let’s face it, even if stored inside a hard case, nothing is going to save your eyewear from a car or truck running over them, fire or flying out the window of your car while changing lanes on the freeway at 70mph.

Taking the time to properly clean and store your eyewear will help you get the best performance and lifespan of your investment.

8 Ways to Protect Your Vision

How much would you pay for your eyesight? It’s a question most people wouldn’t think to ask, but the answers are profound. Really, people would pay just about any worldly price for the gift of sight. People who suffer eye injuries or develop diseases that affect their sight find their lives drastically changed overnight. To help you avoid such hardship, we’re listing eight ways to protect your vision.

1. The best way to fight disease, as they say, is prevention. Protect your vision by keeping regular eye exam appointments. Catching serious eye diseases, such as glaucoma and certain cancers, in their earliest stages can mean the difference between sight and blindness. In general, people take their ocular health for granted. It’s the same attitude that leads people to perform dangerous activities without wearing proper eye protection.
2. It may surprise you that thousands of people come to emergency rooms every year with burnt corneas – from the sun, that is. Though protecting your skin from the sun’s ultraviolet rays has become common practice, applying the same defense to the eyes may seem like a foreign concept. If you wear prescription glasses, get lenses that have UV protection. If you don’t wear prescription glasses, buy a pair of sunglasses with UV protection. These are cheap and readily available.
3. Besides staying current with your eye exams, regular check-ups with a general practitioner can help to diagnose chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure), which are two leading causes of eye diseases that can result in blindness.
4. Don’t ignore warning signs that something may be wrong. If you suspect something is wrong with your eyes or your vision, call our office as soon as possible.Though it may seem impossible to avoid the “freak accidents” that cause most traumatic eye injuries, taking a few precautions can make all the difference.
5. If you’re doing any work around the house, especially with power tools, wear industry-strength goggles. Regular glasses will not provide any protection against nails or flying debris.
6. Be especially cautious around household chemicals (bleach being the most common).
7. Always wear protective eyewear while playing contact sports.
8. Take special care to avoid the eyes when infected with poison ivy, oak, or sumac. These plants cause rashes that pose little more than an annoyance when on the skin, however, serious complications may occur if the rash spreads to the eye.

Obviously, there are more than eight ways to protect your vision. Over-precaution is the best approach. Usually, this involves something as simple as putting on goggles.