How To Care for Lenses with AR

Your AR coated lenses were designed to help you see better, but there are certain steps you need to take in order to ensure that they last a long time and that you get the most benefit from them.  If you want to learn about how AR helps you see better please see the first part in this series on AR called What is AR Coating and How Can It Help Me See Better.

Daily Cleaning Procedure

1. Rinse your lenses under warm tap water.
2. Place a drop of mild hand soap or dish soap like Dawn on each lens.  Avoid soaps with creams or lotions because those will smear the lenses.  Optical hand soap formulated for contact lenses wearers also works really well.  We carry bottles and refills at Hicks Brunson Eyewear.
3. Gently rub the soap on the lenses with your fingers on the front and back sides to clean away all the oils.
4. Rinse the lenses under the warm water.
5. Dry the lenses with a clean lint-free cotton towel or a microfiber lens cloth which is available at Hicks Brunson Eyewear and other optical stores.  Be careful not to rub too hard and avoid using paper towels because they are wood based and may scratch the lenses.

  Cleaning On The Go Sometimes you will smudge your lenses while you are out and do not have access to soap and water.  For this reason it is always useful to keep a microfiber cleaning cloth and small bottle of lens spray formulated for AR coated lenses.  Some lens sprays used alcohol or ammonia.  You want to avoid sprays with those ingredients as they may cause the coating to break down over time.

1. Spray the lenses on the front and back surfaces
2. Holding the frame at the bridge gently rub both the front and back surfaces with your micro fiber cloth until the lenses are dry.  You may need to move the cloth around to as it soaks up the spray to keep it from smearing.

  Cleaning Without Water If you do not have spray you may gently wipe away smudges with your micro fiber cloth, but always make sure there is no visible dirt or debris on your lenses or cloth.  These particles may scratch the lenses. Things To Avoid

• Avoid chemicals as these may damage the AR coating.  For example never use Windex to clean your lenses.
• Do not expose your lenses to extreme heat.  Leaving your glasses in your car on a hot summer day may damage the surface.  It is especially risky to set them on the dash board of your car with the sun shining through the windshield.  Even on a mildly warm day the temperature there is very hot and can damage the AR coating.

You have been reading part two in a series on AR coatings. Part three is called Do I Need AR Coating On Sunglasses.