Good-quality sunglasses are a smart investment. A great pair provides your eyes with better visual clarity and protection from both UVA and UVB rays.
As they come with durable lenses and frames, ensure you get all the benefits of wearing the sunglasses for several years.
Good-quality shades also look stylish, versatile, and timeless. As such, you can wear them with all kinds of outfits year in and year out.
However, you won’t enjoy these benefits when you don’t take care of your sunglasses.
When you’re not careful with handling your sunglasses and don’t take care of them, the lenses can get scratched. Aside from being unappealing, scuffed lenses have a degraded UV coating.
When you continue wearing them, your pupils will still be dilated because of the tint, which will allow more UV rays to reach the eyeball surface.
This means wearing sunglasses with scratched lenses will do more harm than good to your eyes.
Best Practices for Taking Care of Your Sunglasses
If you want to maintain and prolong the quality, functionality, and appearance of your sunglasses, keep in mind these key dos and don’ts:
Dos
1. Clean your sunglasses regularly.
Whether you wear your sunglasses for hours outdoors or indoors, they can get dirty or dusty. They can accumulate dust, smudges, and grime, which will affect your lenses’ visual clarity.
Washing your sunglasses daily, after wearing them, allows you to keep your lenses clean and clear.
Use lukewarm water when washing your eyewear. After rinsing it, use your fingers to gently rub a few drops of mild dishwashing or regular soap on the lenses, frames, and nose pad.
Once done, rinse your sunglasses with lukewarm water.
Allow your shades to air dry whenever possible. But if you’re in a hurry to wear it, use a microfiber cloth, preferably the one that came with your eyewear, to wipe it.
2. Place your sunglasses in their case when not wearing them.
Putting your shades on a table, chair, dashboard, or bed when you’re not wearing them is a surefire way of getting them broken or damaged, dust and other particles are likely to settle on your sunglasses when you simply leave them anywhere.
Make it a habit to put your sunglasses in their hard case whenever you’re not using them. Doing so reduces the likelihood of breaking or bending them when you accidentally drop or sit on them.
Additionally, you’ll keep dust, dirt, and other particles from accumulating on your eyewear when you always store them in their case.
3. Handle your sunglasses properly.
Knowing how to handle your shades also plays a vital role in maintaining their good condition.
Below are some tips you have to remember when handling your sunglasses:
- Always handle your shades with clean hands. Specialists from the best eye center in Dubai say that doing so ensures you don’t transfer dirt, oil, sweat, bacteria, and germs to your sunglasses.
- Never place your shades on the top of your head. This can cause the eyewear’s frames to become bent or deformed.
- Grip the rim of your lens with your thumb and finger when you need to adjust your sunglasses. Avoid pushing the nose piece if your eyewear is slipping, since doing this regularly can ruin the finish on the frame and make it look old and worn.
Don’ts
4. Use a tissue, paper towel, and other rough cloth or synthetic material to wipe your sunglasses.
No matter how blurry or dirty your shades are, avoid wiping the lenses with a piece of tissue, paper towel, handkerchief, or your shirt.
Paper products and regular cloth do scratch the lenses, rendering your sunglasses eventually useless.
Some tissues contain moisturizer that can leave a film on your lenses. This will damage your eyewear in the long run.
If you need to wipe your sunglasses, use a microfiber cloth, particularly the one given to you when you bought your eyewear.
Also, avoid wiping your lenses when they’re dry, even if you’re using a microfiber cloth. Wet them a bit or use a lens solution to clean them thoroughly and safely.
5. Place your shades on surfaces with the lenses down.
Whether you’re setting your sunglasses down on a table, countertop, bed, or inside a drawer, avoid putting them face down.
You can scratch the lenses of your eyewear when you do this.
If you want to remove your shades for a few minutes, put them face up regardless of where you place them.
It is actually best to make it a habit to put your eyewear in their case whenever you remove them.
6. Leave your sunglasses in a hot place.
Avoid putting your shades in any place where it is extremely hot or where they will be exposed to direct sunlight. These include the dashboard of your car, even when the air conditioner is turned on when temperatures are high.
The sunlight and high temperature can distort the plastic frame and cause it to warp. This can lead to the lenses cracking, and distorts the fitting on the face too.
Extreme heat can also damage sunglasses with metal frames. Because of this, avoid leaving them in hot places, too.
If you have to take off your shades, put them in their case and take that wherever you go.
When you are meticulously taking care of your sunglasses, you’ll also be helping keep your eyes protected all the time. You can wear your shades for a long time too.
Get more tips for taking care of your eyes and eyewear on our blog page.
