12 Sep How Often Should You Replace Your Glasses?

How Often Should You Replace Your Glasses?

In the past couple of decades, glasses have come a long way. They have transformed from a necessity into an accessory. In fact, many glasses wearers own multiple pairs of glasses and try to match the right pair to the right outfit. Of course, this begs the question of how often should someone replace their glasses. There are many factors that need to be taken into account in order to answer that question.

The biggest factor to consider as far as how often your glasses should be replaced is how much you use your glasses. Wearing your glasses every day will place more wear and tear on the glasses. Also, if you only use glasses for distance and take them off for reading or vice versa, that also places added strain on the frame. A few things that could go wrong with the frame are, the arm or the temple of the frame can break off from the front. This can especially happen if you put on and take off your glasses with one hand and it puts stress on the other temple. It also depends on what is used to clean the glasses. If any alcohol products are used, this can make the plastic frames brittle and they can break if an optician tries to make any adjustments. Something else to consider is how well the frames are made and what material they are made of. Anyone that uses glasses daily should consider replacing their frames annually.

The frame isn’t the only aspect of the glasses that can be worn out after heavy use. The lenses will also need to be replaced. Most times it is due to scratches on the lenses. This can impede vision and cause everything to be blurred. Also, if you happen to have transition lenses, they tend to lose the ability to change back to clear as quickly as they age (although over the years the technology has gotten better). But the biggest reason to change lenses would be if your prescription has changed. Even though you can’t harm your eyes by wearing an old prescription, you can certainly cause strain and possibly headaches.

There are a few things that can be done to make sure your glasses stay in the best possible condition even though you are using them every day. You want to make sure you use proper eyeglass cleaner and wipe to clean them. Do not use any ammonia products, since that will damage the lenses. You can stop in at your local optical to make sure the screws are all tight so you don’t lose one at the most inopportune time. Finally, when you are not using your glasses make sure to place them in their case so they are safe.

How frequently you should change your glasses is determined case by case. The most important thing is to get your eyes examined every year and work with your optometrist and optician in determining whether you are in need of new glasses at that time.