How to Clean and Care for Your Eyeglass Lenses

Mastering the correct methods of cleaning and maintaining your lenses can extend their useful life threefold.It also includes practical advice on cleaning and maintenance techniques, as well as the selection of cleaning tools and storage precautions, to help users avoid scratches and stains that can damage the lenses.

Why is it so important to care for contact lenses?

You might think that a little wiping is all that's needed to clean a dirty pair of lenses, but over time, this habit will leave your lenses with a multitude of fine scratches, and may even cause the coating to peel off.Good lenses are not cheap, and learning how to care for them properly can save you the expense of having to replace them frequently, and also keep the quality of their images stable.

Daily cleaning the right way.

Prepare your tools.

You should never wipe your lens with a tissue or your shirt! Prepare a professional lens cloth (made of superfine fibers), a can of compressed air, and lens cleaning fluid.If you can't find the cleaning fluid, you can use distilled water in a pinch, but tap water contains impurities and can leave spots.

The technique must be gentle.

First blow the large dust particles off with your breath to avoid scratching the lens when you wipe it.Don't spray the cleaning fluid directly on the lens, but instead spray it on a cloth and then wipe the lens.Wipe in a spiral pattern from the center to the outside, and don't scrub back and forth.

The secret to a longer life.

The environment in which they are stored is very important.

Lenses are most vulnerable to moisture and high temperatures.When not in use for long periods of time, remember to put it in a moisture-proof box. During the rainy season in the south, put a packet of desiccant in the box.Never leave a CD in a car on a sunny day. The high temperatures can cause the coating to crack.

Don't be lazy about regular check-ups.

Every two weeks, the lens is inspected using a strong light, turning the lens to check the surface.If you find a stubborn grease spot, deal with it immediately; the acidic substances in fingerprints will gradually corrode the coating.Use a swab dipped in 75 % alcohol to gently remove the fungus.

Common Misconceptions and How to Avoid Them.

Don't use these.

The fibers of ordinary cloth are too coarse, and after wiping the lens, there will be streaks.Alcohol wipes may disinfect, but if the concentration is too high they will dissolve the coating.Don't believe the rumors about using toothpaste to polish your lenses. That's a trick for polishing cell phone screens, and the more you polish your lenses, the more blurry they will become.

How to deal with special circumstances.

If salt spray gets on the lens after a beach shoot, rinse it off with distilled water and wipe it dry.In winter, do not wipe your glasses with your breath, as the rapid change in temperature may cause the lens to crack.If oily smudges are hard to wipe off, try steaming them with hot steam for three seconds, and then wiping.

Following these methods, you can keep your lenses clean and clear for three or five years.After all, no one wants to spend a bundle on a lens and then have it ruined because they don't know how to look after it.