{"id":6323,"date":"2021-08-06T15:27:05","date_gmt":"2021-08-06T15:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.zeiss.com\/intern\/vision-us\/?p=6323"},"modified":"2021-09-08T15:35:15","modified_gmt":"2021-09-08T15:35:15","slug":"why-your-patients-shouldnt-clean-their-eyeglasses-with-a-shirt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.zeiss.com\/vision\/us\/why-your-patients-shouldnt-clean-their-eyeglasses-with-a-shirt\/","title":{"rendered":"Why your patients shouldn\u2019t clean their eyeglasses with a shirt?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here is the evidence.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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As an eye care professional, you know how important it is to keep eyeglass lenses clean to ensure optimal clarity.  You also know that some methods of cleaning are better than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to extensive consumer research, the most common item used to clean eyeglasses is clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Educate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

T-shirts contain cotton fibers and dirt that can scratch lenses. Would your patients use sandpaper on their lenses?  It\u2019s important to know that fabrics are like very mild sandpaper that will eventually damage and scratch lenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Most premium eyeglass lenses are now sold with some sort of AR coating to either block blue light, reduce glare, provide UV protection or help keep the lenses clean.  Cleaning the lenses properly will ensure your lenses and AR coating last a very long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Damage in Detail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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When looking through a microscope (Figure 1) the left side shows the lens at 100x magnification after being wiped 4000 times with a piece of clothing.  To put this in perspective 4000 wipes is equivalent to a person cleaning their eyeglasses daily for 2 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comparing this to the right side of the image, we can see that when cleaned under the same conditions but with the ZEISS Lens Wipes, the lens is still in excellent condition. 1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In a study done using a number of best-selling lenses with a Bayer ratio of between 2.5 and 10, we see that when cleaning lenses with clothing the lens was significantly damaged after 1600 cleaning cycles.  Compare this to a lens that has been cleaned under the same conditions but with ZEISS Lens Wipes, we can see the significant difference. In the graph below (Figure 2), the Haze Gain (lens clarity) and Contact Angle (coating condition) are still in very good condition, even after 4000 cleaning cycles. 2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Solution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are a few ways to safely clean eyeglass lenses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n