I have been wrong for many years! Glasses cloth cannot be used to clean glasses

For people who wear glasses, it is easy for glasses to become scratched after wearing them for a long time. We are all familiar with this action: just blow on the lenses and then wipe them with a glasses cloth or tissue.

But over time, friends who wear glasses will find a problem. Sometimes when you wipe your glasses, there are often some places that are blurry, and they can't be wiped clean no matter how hard you try. A closer look shows that they are not dirty at all, but there are many small scratches on them. The more you wipe with the glasses cloth, the more scratches there are. Is it because of poor quality or daily operation errors?

Source: A shopping website

1

Where do the scars on glasses come from?

Many people think that the cloth given with the purchase of glasses is for cleaning glasses. In fact, it is only used to protect glasses and prevent them from colliding with the glasses case. In addition, most of the glasses cloths on the market today are not fine enough, and dust and small foreign objects are easily retained on the cloth and the lens. If you use the glasses cloth to dry wipe directly, it is equivalent to rubbing the lens with small particles.

Source: Baidu Images

The dust or oil on the lens is actually mostly the oil on our eyelashes, the keratin on our face, the fine sand in the air, the dandruff on our hair, etc. Especially the sand, although it looks tiny, it is actually very hard for the lens and the coating. At this time, if you dry wipe the glasses, the more you wipe, the more it will wear, and the more it wears, the harder it will be to wipe clean. The end result is that both the glasses and the lenses will be damaged.

In addition, when the lens is put back into the case, it is easy to be scratched by the edge of the case. When cleaning the glasses, rubbing the lens back and forth will also cause damage over time. If the lens is accidentally dropped, rubbed against the rough ground or slid on the flat surface when picking up, it will cause scratches.

Source: A shopping website

Since glasses cloth is not used to wipe the lenses, how can we clean and maintain glasses in our daily life? The simplest and most common way is to clean the glasses with water. The correct steps are as follows:

1. Fold the arms of the glasses and use a small stream of water to wash away dust and dirt from all parts of the glasses, especially the corners (which are more likely to harbor dirt).

2. Evenly cover the front and back of the glasses with cleaning solution (preferably neutral cleaning solution). If you use a detergent, spray it directly. If you use detergent, dilute it with water on your hands first, rub it into foam, then apply it on the surface of the lens, and then rinse it off with clean water.

3. Use a softer tissue to absorb the water droplets on the lens, and then put it into the glasses case.

It should be noted that during the washing process, do not use hot water, because the film layer on the surface of the lens may be scalded when it comes into contact with hot water that is too hot (such as 40-60°C), so it is not recommended to expose the glasses to strong light in the summer. When using a paper towel to absorb the water on the lens, remember not to rub it back and forth vigorously, otherwise, horizontal or vertical scratches will appear over time.

Although the surface of the lens is transparent, it is actually covered with multiple layers of coatings for different purposes, some to increase light transmittance, some to increase wear resistance, and some to increase anti-fouling ability, etc. Therefore, when you wipe your glasses, you are not wiping the lens itself, but the coating attached to the mirror surface. If the quality of the coating or lens is not good, coupled with incorrect wiping techniques, the coating will be damaged, scratched, or even fall off directly. Without the protection of the coating, the lens will be more easily worn out.

Source: Hippopx

2

What should I do if my glasses are damaged?

We should observe the location and degree of wear of the glasses. If the degree of wear of the lens does not affect the central vision, but only the periphery of the lens is worn, you can continue to wear it for a while, and wait until the degree of refractive error changes, such as the degree of myopia increases, and then replace the lens; if the wear is very obvious or located in the center of the lens, it will affect the central vision and you will not be able to see clearly with glasses. In this case, you need to replace the lens as soon as possible. Therefore, if the lens is scratched, you must go to the hospital for a doctor's examination to decide whether the lens needs to be replaced.

Source: Hippopx

Long-term wearing of scratched glasses is more likely to lead to an increase in the degree of myopia, especially for teenagers. The light passing through these scratches will become chaotic, which not only affects the clarity, but also causes great damage to the eyes. We wear glasses to see clearly and protect our eyes. If the glasses are already damaged, continuing to wear them will be counterproductive.

Source: Hippopx

In addition, damaged lenses may reduce the protective function of the lenses, such as the UV protection function is weakened and cannot block harmful light from entering the eyes. However, some glasses lenses are UV-resistant, so surface scratches will not necessarily destroy their function.

In summary, for those of us who wear glasses, we should protect our glasses well, clean and care for them regularly, reduce damage to them, and increase their wearing life. When glasses are scratched, we should check them in time and consult a professional doctor to decide whether to replace the lenses to avoid secondary damage to the glasses. For those who do not wear glasses, we should learn to protect our eyes and avoid myopia caused by excessive use of eyes.