BEAUTY KLINIC

Have you ever heard a mom tell her child not to wear someone elses glasses because it will ruin his eyes? This common belief comes from the thought that straining to see out of a wrong prescription can damage your eyes. Similarly, some believe that it is unhealthy to switch prescription glasses from day to day. Is there any truth to this thought, or is it simple an “old wives″ tale?

The Truth About Your Eyes

So can a different prescription harm your eyes? The answer to this question begins with understanding what causes eye problems to begin with. Poor eyesight is caused by the shape of the eye. While prolonged exposure to certain activities, such as reading or watching TV, when the eye is developing can change its shape, in general you cannot damage the shape of your eye by one or two actions, such as wearing someone elses glasses or changing between prescriptions from day to day.

Why Do You Need to Switch?

If you are concerned about the safety of switching between prescription glasses on a regular basis, consider the reason why you need to switch. Are you switching between reading glasses and glasses for nearsightedness? Do you need to wear safety lenses at work? Perhaps you are switching between regular prescription glasses and prescription sunglasses. Some people even feel that a weaker prescription works better for them when they are using the computer or reading, and a stronger prescription is necessary when driving or looking long distances.

Possible Alternatives

If you are concerned about constantly switching between prescriptions, you may have some alternatives. If you are switching because you need reading glasses and regular glasses, you have probably found this to be incredibly inconvenient. You have to always remember to bring your reading glasses with you, and they are very easy to forget. You also have to switch every time the need to read arises, whether to write a check at the grocery store, scan the magazines to find an interesting headline, or check the price of your purchases before putting them in your cart. An alternative to this situation is to get bifocals. Todays bifocals are as fashionable as regular glasses, and bifocal contact lenses are also available this will eliminate the hassle of always dealing with two pairs of glasses.

Perhaps you are wishing to wear sunglasses but want to avoid the look of clip-ons. One option for you would be to purchase special lenses that darken when you are in the sun. Otherwise, keep your prescription sunglasses in the car, and switch when you are driving. There is no danger in doing this, although it is a slight hassle.

Another option for some people may be to have laser surgery to eliminate the need for glasses. This is not always ideal, due in part to the cost and also to the risks associated with laser eye surgery. Be sure to discuss all of the potential risks before you sign up for this procedure.

So Is There Any Danger?

Research has shown that switching between prescription glasses from day to day does not cause permanent damage, so if it works for you, go ahead and do it. However, some people experience headaches when they switch from one pair of cheap glasses to another as their eyes attempt to adjust to the new prescription. Also, eyestrain is a common problem associated with switching from one prescription to another. These issues do not cause permanent damage, but they can be uncomfortable. However, if you do not suffer from eyestrain or headaches, and switching makes life more convenient, then continue to do it without worry!

Remember when a pair of hand painted reading glasses was all the rage? You might not have been wearing readers at that point, but if you did, these glasses looked like someone took the time to personally place their artistic talent on your eyeglass frames.

Take a look in the mirror and focus on the area above your eyes. What shape do your brow bones and eyebrows create? This area may look very oval, round, flat, curved inward, curved outward, etc.. The point is that this feature is unique to you.

Clear plastic reading glasses offer a clear frame as the name suggests. The plastic frames are good for stronger prescriptions because they offer more coverage for the edges of these thicker lenses.

When buying wholesale reading glasses, be sure to try it on first before purchasing. Try and feel the way it frames your face and how it feels like when you are wearing it.

Small in size but made from high quality metals and zyls, these reading glasses offer style and functionality in a big way.

You can also find compact magnifying lenses that come in the size of credit cards but which are provided with a tough polymer-coated acrylic frame to withstand wear and tear. These lenses can fit inside a small wallet or hooked in a key chain. Some come in as fancy pendants that you could swing around your neck.

Most of these compact reading glasses now also come in a variety of designs, textures and colors. With such variety, you are bound to find a reading glass that suits you and the purpose for which you require reading glasses.

If you do need reading glasses and you do a lot of work on close by objects like reading or writing or working on a computer, you might want to consider full frame reading glasses.

These eyeglasses will give a much wider viewing area than other glasses so working with them is easy. Perfect for those who are constantly into close-up work, these frames and lenses allow a real wide range of magnified vision.

Fashion trends change, and styles of glasses change to keep up. Even in similar-looking products, you will find wide variances in construction of lenses, hinges and frames. The materials used to make the glasses can make the difference between a pair that lasts for a week and a pair that lasts for years.

Your prescription glasses may look as beautiful as the day you got them, but if your nose pads have begun to yellow, or better yet build up green gunk underneath, they become unsightly when people get close to you. What can you do about this problem? Is there anything you can do to clean yellowed nose pads on your glasses?

Why Nose Pads Turn Yellow

Nose pads are made out of clear plastic. They are in constant contact with your skin, and underneath the plastic the skin often sweats. The sweat, over time, causes the nose pads to turn yellow. On average it takes about one year for the nose pads on your glasses to turn yellow, and you probably want your glasses to last longer than a year, particularly if you are paying a lot for designer eyeglass frames.

Additionally, the reaction between the acidity of the sweat and the metal of the frames can lead to a greenish buildup on the nose pads. This buildup also contains dirt and grime from your skin. It is unsightly, and also quite unsanitary if you stop to think about it.

Can It Be Cleaned?

The answer to whether or not nose pads can be cleaned is yes and no. You cannot do much for yellowed nose pads. Unfortunately, once the nose pad has turned yellow, it is permanent. However, the green gunk and grime under the nose pad can be cleaned.

One way to do this is to use a pre moistened alcohol pad. Shove the alcohol pad between the nose pad and the frame, and let some of the alcohol leak onto the nose pads. Then, rinse it off with water.

If this does not work, use a soft-bristled toothbrush, preferably a child-sized one, and scrub the nose pads. You can even remove them if you wish to get them really clean, but make sure you keep careful tabs on the screws if you do, because they are tiny.

Some people who wear eyeglasses claim that soaking them for an hour in soapy water and then rinsing them will remove the gunk that builds up under the nose pads. Again, this will not help with the yellowed plastic, but if you have buildup it is worth a try.

Consider the Alternative

If you have yellowed nose pads, you do have another alternative. Replacing the nose pads is actually quite affordable. You can pick up a nose pad repair kit at a drug store or your local optometrist, but make sure you have your glasses with you, as there are different kinds available and you will need the right ones.

To do the replacement, start by laying out your supplies on a light colored towel. This will keep the tiny pieces from sliding off of the table. Then, use a jewelers screwdriver to remove the old nose pads. Once they are off, use alcohol soaked pads to clean the frames near where they connect to the nose pads. You want all residue removed before you put the new pads on.

Once the glasses are clean, install the new pads using the jewelers screwdriver. Do so gently, as it is very easy to damage these delicate pieces. If you feel resistance when you try to screw in the new screw, take it out and start again.

When you are done, place some clear nail polish or white glue on the screw heads. This way they will not eventually slip out, but you can remove them with your screwdriver if you need to later. Do not use strong glues, as this will make it difficult to remove the nose pads when they also turn yellow. When you are done, you will have glasses that look as good as they did the day you bought them, and you will pay very little for the revamped look.

No matter how careful you are with your glasses, you are probably going to deal with a scratch or two over their lifetime. While some scratches may not bother you, as they are out of your line of sight, others create problems with your vision when they are directly where you need to look. If you are suffering from scratched lenses, you may be able to remove them with just items you have around your own home.

Plastic Versus Glass

One variable to consider when looking for a scratch repair option is whether your glasses are glass or plastic. Many of todays lenses are made out of metal plastics, such as polycarbonate, in order to reduce the risk of breaking. These lenses also weigh far less than traditional glass lenses. Many of the scratch repair options work only on plastic lenses, so if you have glass ones you are going to struggle to repair the scratch.

For instance, many solutions you can buy to repair scratched glasses are polymer-based solutions. Polymers and plastics are both made from carbon, so when you bring them together they bond with one another, and this can effectively fill in a crack. These do not work well on glass at all. In fact, the only likely option you will find to repair a glass lens that has been scratched is to have it professionally restored, and the price of purchasing a new lens for your frames is typically more affordable.

The Toothpaste Method

One way to remove scratches from plastic designer lenses is to use toothpaste and a soft, non-abrasive cloth. Get a regular toothpaste, not one with whitening and other fancy aspects to it, and then rub it on the lens in small circles using the soft cloth. Spend about 10 seconds rubbing the toothpaste on the scratched lens. Then, use water and a new soft cloth to remove the toothpaste.

This does not always work the first time. If you still notice the scratch, repeat the process again. Keep in mind that glasses that have a coating on them will be harder to treat in this manner. You will have to use the toothpaste to rub off all of the coating, so you may wish to bypass this option on your next pair of glasses, as they also will likely get scratched.

Using Jewelers Rouge

Jewelers rouge is another product you might be able to use to remove scratches from your glasses. Choose a low abrasive jewelers rouge. Then, make a mix using two ounces of ammonia and two quarts of water. This is more of the mixture than you will need, but these measurements ensure that you get the right ratio. Use a polishing cloth to first apply the jewelers rouge to the scratch in a circular motion. Buff the glasses for a while until the scratch becomes less visible. Then, don some protective glasses and rubber gloves, and use the ammonia mixture to clean the glass using a soft sponge. When you are done, dry the lens completely using a lint-free, scratch-free cloth.

Final Considerations

While your designer glasses may have been expensive, part of this expense goes towards the purchase of the frames and having the glasses fitted. You may find that simply replacing the scratched lens is more affordable than you think.

If you attempt to use any of these methods to repair your scratched lens, you need to know that they could end up damaging your lens if you do them improperly, so do so at your own risk. Often lenses are coated for various reasons, including glare reduction and scratch protection, and attempting to fix a scratch will almost always damage this coating. However, if the cost of replacing your lens is out of reach, you may wish to try to repair the scratch yourself, but understand the risk if you do.

While mom would have you believe that sitting too close to the TV and other bad habits have caused the challenge, most people by the age of 42 require reading glasses for near vision.

It’s just presbyopia!

Presbyopia is actually blurry near vision due to a natural decrease in your eyes ability to focus. That’s right, it’s normal - it happens to everyone about age 40. Some have defined presbyopia as the shortening of the arms that prevent you from holding an object far enough away to be read. While this makes great comedy, it’s not true. There’s nothing you can do to stop it. Wives tales Would have you believe that wearing glasses make sit worse, the explanation is really simple.

Inside each eye is a crystalline lens which is responsible for focusing our vision between distant and near objects. When a person looks far away the lens in the eye is relaxed, but when that person looks at something nearby, such as a book, the lens flexes to focus on the book. In our youth the lens, like us, is very flexible and active - it can focus on a distant mountain and seconds later read a book held 4 inches from our noses. Over time that lens, also like us, gets a little thicker around the middle and doesn’t like to flex as much.

Because of these changes the lens becomes unable to flex like when we were younger to focus on nearby objects. By age 40 that lens is so fat and lazy it won’t even help out when we’re trying to read the newspaper or see our watch. Objects at 40 centimeters, our usual reading distance, become blurry.

Even though this process continues through our life, it’s at 40 that we notice the change because we no longer do the nearby that we used to do. New lenses, such as glasses or contacts must be used to focus our near vision.

Fortunately for Americans today there are many great options to overcome this obstacle. In addition to the traditional bifocal or reading glass options we now also have no-line bifocals, also called progressive lenses, we have a variety of bifocal contact lenses, cataract surgeons are using new implantable lenses that can be surgically inserted in place of a person’s natural lens, and monovision LASIK is still available. New and better technology shows up every day and your local optometrist can tell you about the latest.