Taking proper care of your eyes is fundamental for everyone. However, when you’re someone who wears glasses, eyecare becomes even more of a necessity. This is because not only do you have to take care of your eyes themselves, but you also have to look after your spectacles too.
Naturally, taking care of one helps with the other, but that doesn’t mean you can slack off. To ensure you’re a happy glasses wearer 365 days of the year, you need to be aware of all the dos and don’ts of glasses wearing. To achieve this, you need to think about eyewear care even before you visit the optician and purchase those new specs — style, fit, cost, etc, all comes into play before you take them home. Then once you have them, you have to properly clean, protect, and store your glasses. If you’re ready to take your eyecare seriously, here’s what you need to know.
Don’t Leave Glasses Unprotected
Even if you need to wear glasses every day, there’s still times when you need to take them off — while showering, when you go to bed, and so on. During those moments, it can become all too easy to simply set your glasses down, unprotected, on your bedside table or bathroom counter. More often than not, you’re probably right in thinking they’ll remain unharmed. However, to guarantee that you won’t pop on your glasses to spot new scratches on the lenses, and/or bent frames, it’s best to use a protective case. Normally you’re given one when you purchase a new pair of glasses, but if not, they’re readily available to purchase online.
Don’t Wear Incorrect Prescription Lenses
Eyewear is a changeable fashion accessory, one that encourages us to purchase several pairs of specs so you can coordinate with your outfits. Nonetheless, while fashion eyewear isn’t bad to follow and keep up to date with, purchasing glasses without the correct prescription included is. Purchasing second hand glasses, buying cheap frames for nights out, or even just continuing to wear a pair of frames that’s been damaged are all bad for your eyes. It can cause damage and discomfort, sometimes long term. This is why it’s important to replace damaged glasses, as well as ensuring your prescription is regularly checked.
Don’t Use Harsh Cleaners
Plenty of people can be tempted to use alternatives to their regular glasses cleaners, especially if on a tight budget. Although it’s tempting to use window cleaner or other such items, these options are normally too harsh for the delicate coating used on your lenses. Consequently, you end up damaging your glasses, which will ultimately lead to you having to spend more money to fix them. If you have no specialist cleaning solutions from your opticians, gentle, everyday dish soap diluted down is a good substitute. Equally, if you need to dry clean your specs, make sure to reach for a microfibre cloth rather than your shirt or jacket, otherwise you can end up scratching your lenses.
Do Experiment With Different Styles
Gone are the days when you had a limited selection of glasses to select. Nowadays, you can browse instore and online, instantly allowing you to try out a wide array of different frame shapes, colours, and brands. If you want to see if those Gucci glasses will suit you, you can do. If you want black glasses instead of blue, you can. If you want to get two very different pairs of specs, you can. Better yet, there’s now greater access to reputable opticians online, meaning that you can purchase regulated, good quality glasses from the comfort of your own home, with peace of mind in the prescription strength.
Do Make Use of Glasses Cases
More often than not, when you visit your eye doctor, they will give you a glasses case in which to store your glasses. Even though these cases aren’t normally the most fashionable available, it does the job in making sure no unexpected scratches will damage your freshly purchased specs. Make sure to utilise this case whenever you’re taking off your glasses for long periods of time, such as when you go to bed or when you play sports. Failing to do so can result in you ending up with damaged glasses that impair your vision instead of aiding it.
Do Visit the Optician Regularly
Normally when you visit your eye doctor, they’ll tell you to come back in a year or couple of years time for your checkup. Although this is the timeframe suggested, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t return sooner if you experience any issues, such as headaches, blurred vision, etc. Ignoring warning signs is just as bad as failing to attend your eye test, as your optician is far more qualified than other healthcare professionals at identifying issues with your vision and the overall health of your eyes. If you’re overdue for an eye examination, book one as soon as you can.
Do Remove Your Glasses With Both Hands
In some instances, this may not be easy to do. However, if you’re able to do so, then removing your glasses with both hands is a simple yet effective means of keeping them in good condition. When you remove your glasses with only one hand, you’re straining and bending only one side of the frames, which can eventually lead to them becoming crooked. In extreme cases, it can end up misaligning your glasses and/or causing the frames to break; of course, for this to happen, you would have to continuously do this over time. To avoid that possibility altogether, remove your glasses with both hands.
These are by no means the only dos and don’ts for glasses wearers, however, they are by far the most important and beneficial. You only get one set of eyes, so it’s vital that you do everything possible to look after them properly.
Leave a Reply