Ever since the pandemic, the one thing that has witnessed significant improvement is our attention to safety. All of a sudden we are spending more time on washing our hands than ever before and exercise extreme caution when handling things that we bring from outside.
Although the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believe COVID-19 spreads mainly through person-to-person contact, they maintain that exposure might also be possible through contact with a contaminated surface. So naturally, people are seen disinfecting anything and everything to be on the safer side.
So what about eyewear? If you decide to order eyewear to ease up your online sessions, what are the safety measures you need to take without causing any damage to them?
Here’s what you can do:
Before going for your eyewear cleaning, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Greasy fingers might not only make it difficult to clean the lenses but also might cause damage to them.
Instructions:
- The ideal thing to use is warm soapy water (mild soap) that will remove any dirt and germs (if present)
- Gently rinse the lenses under cold water
- A gentle cloth or a dry clean microfiber cloth can be used to dry them.
- A soft toothbrush can be used to clean oil from the nose pads and hinges. Avoid touching the lenses with the toothbrush bristles as it may damage them.
Avoid using following to clean your glasses:
- Shirttails
The most common mistake is the use of fabric of the shirt that you’re wearing that might seem like an easy fix for smudged lenses. But such types of fabric are too coarse and can cause minor scratches to develop on the surface of the lenses.
- Acetone
Another common mistake is to use nail polish remover to clean lenses and frames. Avoid using them as Acetone (often found in nail polish remover) is surprisingly destructive to both lenses, and to plastic glasses frames, if left on the surface for too long.
- Blowing Air from Mouth /Saliva
The hot air we breathe out contains water vapours which turn into tiny droplets of water when it comes in contact with the colder glass (lens of your eyewear). This makes the lens moist and hazy. Also, while doing this or using saliva to clean your lens; you are exposing your lens with germs from your mouth, which can then multiply.
Takeaway
Research shows COVID-19 is detectable for up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel, two materials found in most eyewear. But routinely cleaning your eyewear with mild soap and water is thought to effectively kill the virus, according to the CDC.
Take care, be safe and protect your eyes. They are very precious.