Proper eye care goes beyond just your eyes. If you wear glasses it’s very important to take the best possible care of your lenses. Broken or damaged glasses might not hurt your vision in the long-term, but they can interfere with your vision as well as cause painful headaches.
Good Eyeglasses Care Is Good Eye Care
1 – Keep them in a case.
It’s tempting to just throw your glasses onto a side table at night, but that’s asking for accidents to happen. Keeping them in a solid case when not in use will protect against most everyday damage and accidents.
2 – Only use soft cloths to wipe them.
Different kinds of lenses have varying scratch-resistance, but the easiest way to accidentally scratch them is by “cleaning” with improper materials. Cotton and other rough fabrics will put tiny scratches in the lenses that, over time, build up to create constant refractions, or “lens flair” effects.
These can make the glasses distracting to wear, as well as increase your chance of eye-strain headaches.
3 – Never wear broken lenses.
Avoid wearing broken lenses unless you truly have no other option. Besides impairing your vision, broken lenses have a much higher chance of breaking further. If this happens, they’re far more likely to cause eye damage with shards or slivers of glass or plastic.
4 – Occasionally clean with mild detergent and disinfectant.
It’s not necessary to clean your glasses as often as contacts. However, over time they will build up dirt and grime (especially around the nosepiece and rims) and a layer of oil can form on the lenses. They’ll last longer and be more hygienic with a thorough wet cleaning about once a week.
5 – Wear Sports Goggles For Sports
Only true sports goggles are rated to protect your eyes against an impact to your corrective lenses. Both glasses and contacts increase your risk of eye injury from a hit to the face.
And, of course, don’t forget to update your prescription at least once a year! Contact your Phoenix eye doctortoday for more eye care information.