durability of spectacle len's

[Appletise]

l've had my spectacles with the non branded lens (~about 8x cheaper than HOYA lens) for around a year, take reasonable care of them, use the lather bubbles of shampoos or body wash whilst in shower, then wash off with water. l normally just dab dry with a cotton body cloth and give it a wipe with a cheap lens cloth about 12 hours later so it is relatively clear. Thing is the lens aren't scratched but has stains that cannot be removed. was told by opticians it's the coating. my opticians told me it has anti glare, anti scratch, uv protection coating (the machine shows maximum uv reading of 400)
how long do you have lens for before they become like this. looking forward to your advice.

 

[A.Goldberg]

I buy glasses every 1-2 years. I've never had that issue before.

I'm guessing it might have to do with excessive washing of the glasses with an emulsifying agent and potentially damaging substance in warm/hot water.

There's different grades of antiglare coating. Some are thicker. Some are hydrophobic to prevent smudging and dust attraction. Anti scratch coatings usually protect the antiglare. Perhaps talk to your eye doc about what he uses.

My eye doc always said never to clean lenses dry, not to use household soaps (as they can destroy the coatings), and only to use the microfiber cleaning cloths.

I know you can remove the coating all together if it's a problem. I imagine you can have them recoated as well.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I buy glasses every 1-2 years. I've never had that issue before.

I'm guessing it might have to do with excessive washing of the glasses with an emulsifying agent and potentially damaging substance in warm/hot water.

There's different grades of antiglare coating. Some are thicker. Some are hydrophobic to prevent smudging and dust attraction. Anti scratch coatings usually protect the antiglare. Perhaps talk to your eye doc about what he uses.

My eye doc always said never to clean lenses dry, not to use household soaps (as they can destroy the coatings), and only to use the microfiber cleaning cloths.

I know you can remove the coating all together if it's a problem. I imagine you can have them recoated as well.

Yes, agreed on not using household detergents for spectacles. I use a lens cleaner supplied by my optician and a cloth assigned for the purpose of cleaning spectacle lenses.

However, this issue of smudged or smeared spectacle lenses, and lenses which were next to impossible to keep clean is one I have had in the past. Over a decade ago, antiglare technology was a lot less advanced, and these problems were not unknown and were a nuisance - certainly, it was an issue with some lenses that I got early in the millennium.

 

[Tomorrow]

You wash your glasses in the shower?!? Yikes!

I have a pair of glasses that I kept for nearly 8 years with a UV coating on them, and I've never seen that happen before. But then, I never showered with them, so there's that.

 

[JamesMike]

Never had the problem, I get my glasses from Costco once a year, they are good and cheap.

 

[Appletise]

I buy glasses every 1-2 years. I've never had that issue before.

I'm guessing it might have to do with excessive washing of the glasses with an emulsifying agent and potentially damaging substance in warm/hot water.

There's different grades of antiglare coating. Some are thicker. Some are hydrophobic to prevent smudging and dust attraction. Anti scratch coatings usually protect the antiglare. Perhaps talk to your eye doc about what he uses.

My eye doc always said never to clean lenses dry, not to use household soaps (as they can destroy the coatings), and only to use the microfiber cleaning cloths.

I know you can remove the coating all together if it's a problem. I imagine you can have them recoated as well.

Thanks for responses, my opticians uses a popular dish washing detergent in his shop. "Swipe" is the brand name. it is pink, please see attachment. He has droplets of it added in the typical opticians' small spectacle bath. That must be more potentially damaging to the coats in the spectacles than the lather of my sensitive skin soaps or normal shampoos?
so do you dampen micofiber cleaning cloths with water and just rub the lens? what about the frame, that will have sweat accumulation. Cleaning during with soap or shampoo lather whilst showering just seems most convenient and hygienic.

The uv coating still seems 100% as the opticians have a machine that reads the UV protection in the lens,a reading of 400 is the max and thats what it reads. My oakleys sunspecs had a reading of ~390.
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You wash your glasses in the shower?!? Yikes!

I have a pair of glasses that I kept for nearly 8 years with a UV coating on them, and I've never seen that happen before. But then, I never showered with them, so there's that.

it seems most convenient, hygienic and sensible. please enlighten me how you clean them if you shouldn't shower with them, so they are "squeaky clean"? do we have to use lens cleaner solutions? see attachment.
it must be like washing cars, you don't sponge it with a wet sponge straight away as l had thought, but thoroughly hose down the car first to get any loose grits off to prevent permanently damaging the paint.
ps. do you have one of the branded lenses?

 

[Chundles]

Len's what?

 

[A.Goldberg]

Thanks for responses, my opticians uses a popular dish washing detergent in his shop. "Swipe" is the brand name. it is pink, please see attachment. He has droplets of it added in the typical opticians' small spectacle bath. That must be more potentially damaging to the coats in the spectacles than the lather of my sensitive skin soaps or normal shampoos?
so do you dampen micofiber cleaning cloths with water and just rub the lens? what about the frame, that will have sweat accumulation. Cleaning during with soap or shampoo lather whilst showering just seems most convenient and hygienic.

There are many different brands with different ingredients, and the amount of exposure is probably a factor as well. Some soaps, especially shampoos, have citric acid and alcohols that aren't good for the coatings. Sensitive skin products usually have to deal with products that induce allergic reactions more than anything. Hot water is universally bad. Additionally, body soaps usually have the aforementioned ingredients And possibly an abrasive component.

The coating may survive the occasional washing with a detrimental product for the life of your glasses, but daily exposure in hot water will of course accelerate the process.

90% of the time I use the pre-moistened disposable lens cleaning wipes you can buy, spray lens cleaner and microfiber cloth, or in a pinch cold water and a cleaning cloth (at worst my undershirt). The pre-moistened wipes are great for the car where you have no water.

To clean my frames I usually rely on a cold water followed by a drying with a paper towel, not touching the lenses of course. From a microbiology prospective, using conventional soap vs no-soap really won't make a big difference in terms of bacterial growth. Every so often I wipe down the frames with either some antimocrobial soap or an alcohol swab (being careful not to get it on the lens).

If your glasses/lenses are less than a year old they're probably under warranty- which may or may not cover the coating.

It looks like the antiglare coating can be removed with acetone or something called Armor Etch if it's an annoyance and you're not in the market for new glasses.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

I've been told by optometrists to never use "general" soaps/detergents on glasses. The way I've always been told to clean them is:

1. Use a microfiber cloth to *GENTLY* brush away any "bits" on the lenses. Don't press, don't rub. "Brush"
2. Rinse them off with plain water.
3. Use a (CLEAN!) microfiber cloth to dry them, rubbing very gently.
4. If they have smudges, your microfiber cloth probably wasn't clean enough. At this point, you can use spray cleaner designed specifically for glasses (do NOT use Windex, or any type of general household soap,) and microfiber them again.

Never "press hard" when using the microfiber cloth. Never use your shirt.

If your coatings have been partly worn away, you'll have to completely remove the coatings to get them "normal looking" again, but obviously you'll lose the benefits of those coatings.

 

[maflynn]

I had a pair of Costco glasses for over 5 years. They held up up extremely well. Because they were scuffed up a bit, not horrendously but enough to justify a replacement. Those replacements lasted 3 years, and they just spontaneously exploded over the weekend. I was taking them off to read a menu, and as I did the frame broke apart in pieces. I have them super glued, but I am on borrowed time.

I have an eye appt, this Friday, to get a replacement - hopefully they'll last me a long time.

 

[Tomorrow]

it seems most convenient, hygienic and sensible. please enlighten me how you clean them if you shouldn't shower with them, so they are "squeaky clean"? do we have to use lens cleaner solutions? see attachment.
it must be like washing cars, you don't sponge it with a wet sponge straight away as l had thought, but thoroughly hose down the car first to get any loose grits off to prevent permanently damaging the paint.
ps. do you have one of the branded lenses?

I don't need my glasses to be "squeaky clean" - they're eyeglasses, not wine glasses.

Probably 99% of the time I just wipe them with either a tissue or my shirt tail. I never use any type of solution on them, and I definitely don't put them into hot water or a water spray.

I think your analogy of washing a car is very telling; if you think of your glasses the way you do a car when it comes to cleaning them, it's no small wonder there isn't even more damage than what you've shown us.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I don't need my glasses to be "squeaky clean" - they're eyeglasses, not wine glasses.

Probably 99% of the time I just wipe them with either a tissue or my shirt tail. I never use any type of solution on them, and I definitely don't put them into hot water or a water spray.

I think your analogy of washing a car is very telling; if you think of your glasses the way you do a car when it comes to cleaning them, it's no small wonder there isn't even more damage than what you've shown us.

Well, I want mine clean, but I'd never use industrial detergent, or washing up liquid, or even soap.

Lens fluid from my opticians, and a proper micro fibre cloth are what I normally use. Old style cotton handkerchiefs will also work well for this, - the sort that you used to see, neatly folded, poking out from the top of suit breast pockets in those movies from the 40s, - as long as you remember to keep them nice and clean.

 

[Appletise]

thanks all, when at home using dish washing detergent with no alcohol or citric acid seems to work best, l now understand NEVER to shower with them, since soaps likely contain these which are unfriendly to the coatings. how would you recommend getting smudges or stains off lens if out in public? l use to just use the soap in public toilets under running water.

 

[A.Goldberg]

thanks all, when at home using dish washing detergent with no alcohol or citric acid seems to work best, l now understand NEVER to shower with them, since soaps likely contain these which are unfriendly to the coatings. how would you recommend getting smudges or stains off lens if out in public? l use to just use the soap in public toilets under running water.

Justwater should suffice- using the softest thing you can find to dry with. Alternatively, pre-moistened lens wipes do a good job. Stick one in your pocket or wallet and you'll be good for the day.

 

[Tomorrow]

thanks all, when at home using dish washing detergent with no alcohol or citric acid seems to work best, l now understand NEVER to shower with them, since soaps likely contain these which are unfriendly to the coatings. how would you recommend getting smudges or stains off lens if out in public? l use to just use the soap in public toilets under running water.

What's getting on your glasses that you need some kind of cleaner or moistener to clean them? I've ONLY ever used a dry cloth or tissue and they clean right up without any problems.