Caring for Spectacles
Step 1: Take them off using two hands, instead of one. This keeps the earpieces straight and in the right alignment. Taking them off one-handed stretches them out and makes them loose.
Step 2: Don’t put your glasses on the top of your head. This can distort the shape, and there’s a greater chance of them falling off and getting damaged that way
Step 3: Try not to push them up on your nose by sticking your finger on the nosepiece (right between your eyes) if they’re wire-framed. This causes stress on the nose pads, and the center part of the frame, and if they’re any color but silver, it wears the finish off them. This can be very conspicuous at that spot. Instead, grasp the lenses by putting your thumb at the bottom and fingers at the top, and then move them to where you want them to sit on your face
Step 4: Purchase a microfiber optical cleaning cloth. These are generally available at optometrists, chemists and supermarkets for a few dollars. To clean them, hold your glasses firmly in one hand. Rinse the glasses with clean water to remove any dust or dirt particles. Take the cloth in your preferred hand and gently rub both sides of each lenses until you can see no smudges. Breathe on them gently so that you can see any spots you missed in the fog, and wipe them quickly, before it evaporates. Never use the following:
- Clothing – dirt trapped in the fibers can scratch the lenses
- Paper towels or tissues – these fibers scratch lenses
- A dirty microfiber cloth – when you’re not using the microfiber cloth, put it in the eyeglass case; if it collects dust, it’ll scratch the lenses, rather than clean them
Step 5: Use a prepared solution to dissolve any spots. Buy some glasses lens cleaning spray, available from the same places. Spray a small amount on both sides of each lens, and repeat the above.
Step 6: Buy an eyeglass repair kit. These are available at the counter of some markets, major drugstores, eyeglass vendors, and optometrists’ offices. Sometimes the screws that hold the arms on can come loose, which prevents the arm from ‘gripping’ the sides of your head as well. You can either get a tiny screwdriver and tighten them yourself, or visit your optometrist and have them do it for you.
Step 7: Have them adjusted once or twice per year. If you go back to where you got them every six months to one year, they will most likely adjust your glasses free of charge. The optical technician will examine them for wear and tear, tighten any loose screws, check the fit again, just as if it were the day you bought them and make them just like new.
Step 8: Keep your glasses in a case when you aren’t wearing them. When you take your glasses off, put them in the case to keep them from getting scratched. The best ones are the ones that open and close, rather than the ones you slide the glasses into. If you aren’t putting them in a case, at least make sure the lenses are up, away from any surfaces.
To read more on Patient Care, click on the link below.