Do you want to understand the basics of proper glasses cleaning?
Here are all the answers: EYESHAKER FAQ
1. Why Glasses Age Faster Than Expected
You spent several hundred euros on your new glasses. Beautiful design, perfect lenses, anti-reflective coating included. A year later, those same glasses stare back at you from the mirror, dull and scratched.
In many cases, the cause lies in the way they are cleaned.
2. The Coating Is More Delicate Than It Looks
Modern spectacle lenses are covered with several ultra-thin layers. The most well-known is the anti-reflective coating — it ensures that no light is reflected from the lenses and that the person opposite you sees your eyes, not their own reflection.
These layers are very thin. So you are cleaning a surface that requires more attention than a window pane. The coating and abrasion resistance of spectacle lenses are described in standards ISO 8980-4 and ISO 8980-5.
3. What Harms the Surface
- Shirt, T-shirt, and handkerchief
The first thing most people instinctively do when their glasses are dirty is to wipe them on the nearest fabric. This is convenient and quick, but unfavorable for the surface. Even soft cotton fabric has a rough, fibrous surface under a microscope. Together with dirt particles on the lens and fabric, this can stress the coating with frequent use. Individually, it may not be noticeable, but over months it can become visible.
- Alcohol, household cleaners, etc.
Many reach for disinfectant, glass cleaner, or dish soap. This seems logical, but it is often not the better choice. Many of these products contain solvents that can dissolve coatings. With frequent use, the coating can detach in places — visible as an iridescent, blotchy appearance.
- Heat
Summer heat in the car, hot water when rinsing, the sauna: heat can cause the spectacle lens to expand minimally. The coating expands with it, but not always at the same rate. Over time, tiny hairline cracks can form in the layer structure, visible as fine, spiderweb-like patterns on the lenses.
- Cosmetics and fingerprints
Sunscreen, foundation, hair gel — all of these end up on the lenses sooner or later. These substances can stress coatings with prolonged contact. Fingerprints consist of grease and salts that remain on the surface if not removed regularly.
4. What This Means for Visual Quality
A damaged coating is not just a visual issue. Dull or scratched lenses scatter light instead of focusing it. Contrasts appear flatter, glare increases, and the eyes have to work harder. Sensitive individuals often notice this as fatigue at the end of a long day.
In addition, there is skin contact: the frame and nose pads rest on the skin all day. Skin oils and residue from care products accumulate there if not removed regularly.
5. How to Protect the Surface
The simple answer: clean correctly, regularly.
Specifically, this means: no shirt, no handkerchief, no paper towel. Instead, a cleaning solution tailored to spectacle lenses and their coatings — and an absorbent cloth that is free of dirt particles. The detailed sequence is described in the article How to clean glasses properly. Why clothes are particularly unsuitable for this is explained in Why you shouldn't clean your glasses with your T-shirt.
That's exactly what we developed the EYESHAKER for. From over 25 years of optometry family tradition, we wanted to create a cleaning system that works for lenses, frames, nose pads, and all the places a cloth can't reach. Completely without electricity.
Shake it.
