Could COVID-19 live on your eyeglasses or sunglasses?

The honest answer is we really don’t know. But it certainly made a lot of chatter in the eye care community during the early days and when talking about re-launching our optical stores.

We know that the coronavirus can remain viable on hard non-porous surfaces such as plastic or metal for several hours, and eyeglass wearers tend to touch or adjust their eyeglasses regularly throughout the day. This action could lead to the inadvertent touching of one's face.

As such, we believe that it's essential to clean your glasses throughout the day to play it safe.

It is important to point out that cleaning is not the same as sterilization. Cleaning is the removal of dirt and the organic material on which microorganisms can survive, while sterilization is the complete elimination of all viable microorganisms. In most cases, complete sterilization is not required.

Do I Need Special Eyeglass Cleaner or Eyeglass Cloth?

No. Special eyeglass cleaners, eyeglass wipes, or a special eyeglass cloth are not required to clean your eyewear properly—just plain old soap and water will work, and a clean, soft cotton towel.

The same way you wash your hands!

You should never use harsh solvent chemicals like ammonia, bleach, vinegar, or window cleaner on your eyeglasses as these can destroy them.

How Do We Clean Eyeglasses In our Office?

Bath and Body Works Foaming Kitchen Soap to Clean Eyeglasses.jpg

We use the Bath & Body Works Kitchen Lemon gentle foaming hand soap (learn why below). We find that it's soft enough on the lenses but can easily be worked into all the nooks and crannies of the frame. The foam formulation also rinses cleanly away, resulting in a streak-free shine to the lenses with minimal polishing.

You can use liquid soaps if you prefer, but you should avoid soaps that contain lotions as they will smear your lenses. It would be best if you also avoided dish soaps as they contain pretty harsh cleansers, which can start to wear away the surface of your lenses over time and may destroy those anti-reflective non-glare coatings.

Just like washing your hands, though, it's crucial to take your time and let the soap do the work. Don't rush the process. Allow the soap to sit on the lens surfaces and the frame for at least 20-30 seconds before rinsing it away with fresh water.

When rinsing the soap off your eyeglasses, we recommend using fresh room temperature tap water as optical lenses don't react well to extreme temperature changes.

Once complete, dry your eyeglasses, sunglasses, or safety glasses with a soft clean cotton cloth or towel. Avoid using harsh abrasive products like a paper towel or facial tissue; they'll destroy your eyeglasses.

If you need to touch up your lenses, now is when you can reach for the anti-reflective eyeglass cleaner and special glasses cloth provided to you by your eye doctor (make sure you clean your eyeglass cloth regularly as well in your regular laundry).

If Required, How Do We Sterilize a Frame?

Chemical sterilization methods like this are mostly done in a business setting and are probably overkill for people at home. The process is time-consuming and involves multiple steps.

We start by rinsing the frame and lenses with fresh tap water to remove dust and debris, or we soak them in a tub of soapy water.
We remove the lenses from the frame at this point.
We then transfer them to a second ultrasonic cleaner filled with soap and water to vibrate out any debris from the nooks and bevels in the frame
We then use a chemical cleaner to sterilize the frame:
1. Rubbing Alcohol (70% Isopropyl or Ethyl Alcohol)
2. 0.5% hydrogen peroxide on a rag and wipe the frame and allow it to air dry for at least 3-minutes.
We reassemble the frame and lenses.
We re-clean the frame using foaming kitchen soap and water to remove any chemical residue and to provide a streak-free shine to the lenses.

If you choose to use one of these methods, you should be very careful about the lenses, as rubbing alcohol may destroy the anti-reflective coatings and is why most anti-reflective coating sprays are now alcohol-free formulations. Hydrogen peroxide may eventually fade the finish of a frame if it’s applied for too long or too often.

Recap: 5-Steps to Cleaning Your Eyeglasses Properly

Rinse the frame and lenses with fresh tap water to remove dust and debris and to prepare the frame surface for soap.
Apply foaming hand soap to the frame and lenses and rub it into the surface for 20-30 seconds.
Rinse the frame and lenses again with fresh tap water
Dry the frame and lenses with a clean, soft towel
Polish the lenses with Anti-Reflective eyeglass cleaner sprays and a special micro-fibre eyeglass cloth if required.

We recommend cleaning your eyeglasses 2-3 times throughout the day, as well as when they become soiled. During COVID-19, we recommend that patients wash their glasses anytime they return from a public non-quarantine environment.