How to Sanitize Your Glasses Amid a Pandemic
By Essilor News
How can you safely sanitize your glasses?
It turns out your new hand-washing habit also is a terrific model for how to sanitize your glasses and sunglasses in this coronavirus era.
The biggest differences between hand-washing and glasses-cleaning? Hand-washing should be rigorous and take at least 20 seconds. Sanitizing your glasses requires you to be more gentle, and it usually takes time to clean your specs.
We asked Dr. Ryan Parker, Essilor of America's eye doctor spokesman, how to safely sanitize your glasses to cut your COVID-19 risk. "The best way to do this is no different than cleaning our hands," Parker says. "Using hot water and lotion-free soap will do the trick."
Don't use disinfectant wipes to clean your glasses. They may ruin your lenses.
"You want to stay away from household glass cleaners as they have chemicals in them that can damage certain lens coatings," Parker says.
"Also, you would want to stay away from soaps that have those abrasive beads in them," Parker says.
Bottom line: “Simple soap and hot water will clean the lenses, remove bacteria and viruses, and be safe for all parts of the glasses," Parker says.
Another option: "A diluted solution (70%) of isopropyl alcohol is also useful," he says. "It should not pose any issues to good-quality lenses, but one should be careful because it can remove some ink and dyes from the frame."
After washing your glasses, dry them with a soft cloth. Avoid paper products like paper towels and facial tissues, Parker advises.
Finally, how often should you sanitize your glasses? "Once a day," Parker says.
How can you keep your glasses clean through the day while you move about your home under lockdown? Keep a soft eyeglasses cleaning cloth handy.
And wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. Keeping your hands clean ensures your glasses are free of germs and viruses that can spread from your lenses or frames to your face or eyes.
The new normal has turned us all into stay-at-home moms, dads, teens and schoolchildren. Fears about the spread of coronavirus may also turn us all into clean freaks when it comes to washing our hands and sanitizing our glasses and shades. That’s not a bad thing.