Don’t Dry Clean
Never, under any circumstances, attempt to clean your prescription glasses without using an appropriate liquid, like warm soapy water, to help wash away the grit and grime that may be present on the lenses. Wiping your prescription glasses with any kind of dry cloth, whether it be a paper towel, a tissue or just a soft handkerchief could do much more harm than good. If there is any dirt present on your prescription lenses when you wipe them with a dry cloth you run a serious risk of scratching the lenses – some scratches may or may not have a big or direct affect on your vision while wearing your glasses, but depending on the severity and the location of the scratch that you create by cleaning your glasses improperly – you may be rendering your very expensive prescription glasses all but useless.
A much better way to effectively clean your prescription glasses is to run them under a gentle stream of water from the tap in your sink and gently soap the dirty lenses with your hands. Rinse all of the soap away and pat the lenses dry. Even though you just finished cleaning your lenses and are certain that there is no dirt present, it’s very important that you pat them dry instead of rubbing them dry because the cloth or towel you use to dry them may have something in or on it that could scratch your lenses.
Dirty Frames
At times it can be more than just the lenses of your prescription glasses that get dirty, the frames can often get soiled as well which may not necessarily affect your vision, but you should know how to take care of it properly in the event that it becomes a problem.
Since you’ll be cleaning around your prescription lenses it’s very important to take the same care you use when cleaning your frames as you do when cleaning your lenses. In fact, it’s a good idea to use the exact same procedure highlighted above when cleaning your frames – warm water, hand wash with mild soap and pat dry – that way you’ll be sure that your lenses don’t accidentally get scratched while you are in the process of cleaning your frames.