| Proper lens
and frame care ensures clear vision and comfortable
wear. Good habits include proper handling, periodic
maintenance, adequate cleaning and regular visits to the
optician. Handling
With gentle handling, your glasses will last longer and
feel more comfortable. To avoid twisting the frame out
of shape, use both hands to put on your glasses. Grasp
the ear pieces (arms or temples) in the middle with
equal pressure and push the glasses over your ears. To
remove them, use the same grip and carefully slide the
frames forward over your ears and off your face. This
method puts the least amount of stress on your frame and
prevents misalignment.
Close your frames before placing them on any surface,
and never lay them lens-side down. To prevent accidental
scratching, store your glasses in a case whenever they
are not being worn. Never put them in a purse or bag
without proper protection.
Do not wear your glasses on top of your head when you
do not need them to see. This may misalign the frames.
Maintenance
Frames will last longer with proper maintenance. Check
for loose screws and temple misalignment periodically.
For emergency repairs, use a small eyeglass tool kit,
which usually contains a screwdriver and various sizes
of temple screws.
Avoid exposing your glasses to personal care
products. Hairspray, perfume and other products can
damage lens coatings, and cosmetics will dirty the
lenses.
Your glasses will inevitably bend out of shape over
time. To maintain proper fit, have your glasses adjusted
by an optician regularly. How much you wear them, how
active you are, and other personal variables will
determine how frequently you need to have them adjusted.
Ill-fitting glasses can strain your eyes, interfere with
vision correction, and create dangerous situations. It
is recommended that you do not try to bend your frames
back into shape yourself. The service is usually
complimentary at optical shops and eyecare offices where
a trained professional can guarantee you a proper
adjustment.
Cleaning
Keep your glasses clean. This ensures that you benefit
fully from the corrective power of the prescription, and
helps prevent scratching the lenses.
First, run your lenses under warm running water. Then
dip them in soapy water and rub them gently with your
fingers. Rinse them to wash away dirt and oil. A gentle
dishwashing liquid makes a good cleanser. There are also
special lens cleaners that can be sprayed on the lens
(although some may damage lens coatings). Avoid using
household cleaners, disinfectants, acetone or soaps with
cream.
Wipe the lenses with a clean, soft, lint-free cloth.
Do not use paper towels, silicone tissues, facial
tissues, or old rags that may have embedded dirt. These
materials may scratch your lenses. Many optical
suppliers sell microfiber cleaning cloths. These
efficient cloths are machine washable and very gentle on
your lenses.
The same techniques apply toward cleaning the frames.
The temples, in particular, need to be cleaned often
because they are handled the most. Repeated contact with
the skin causes oil to accumulate and can degrade the
frame finish. |