If you wear glasses then you know how important it is to take care of them. Many people who are new to wearing glasses - and people who have been wearing glasses for many years - have no idea how to properly take care of their eyeglasses.

Even though prescription lenses are supposed to be replaced every 2 years, many people want to make them last as long as possible. By taking good care of your eyeglasses you will have to replace them less often. We will take a look into the most common mistakes people make with their glasses and the proper way to take care of them.

DON'T

• Don’t wash your glasses in hot water. Many prescription eyeglass lenses have a protective coating over them and washing them in how water can cause this coating to crack and peel off. The hot water can also warp the lenses and cause them to twist the frames or pop out of the frames.

• Don’t use an abrasive soap or brush to clean your prescription glasses. You may have selected scratch resistant lenses, but that does not mean that you can purposefully rub an abrasive substance on the lenses that they will not get scratched up. It means that during your normal day to day activities if you accidentally drop the glasses or put them lens side down on a desk that they should not get scratched.

• Don’t put your glasses in your Pants pockets. You would think that people would not need to be told this, but many people like to stick their glasses in their pants packets when they are walking around the office and then they forget and sit on them.

• Don’t leave your glasses in the sun. Today most lenses are not made from glass, they are made from plastics. Even if they are sunglasses the heat of the sun beating down on the frames and lenses will warp them to the point that you will not be able to see through them.

DO’S

• Do wash your glasses in cool water. The cool water, no warmer than room temperature, will help to keep the protective coating on the lenses clean and intact. This will allow you to use the glasses and protect your eyes for the entire time you own the glasses.

• Do wash your glasses with non abrasive soap and a soft lint free cloth. The soap will help to clean any dirt or grime on the lenses and the soft cloth will dry the lenses without covering them in lint. This will also stop the lenses from getting scratched during the cleaning process and will keep you seeing clearly for the lifetime of the glasses.

• Do keep your glasses in their case. Chances are you will not sit on and break your glasses if you keep them in the case. Most of the time when glasses get sat on it is the wearer removed their glasses and instead of putting them in their case they placed them on the couch or chair then left the area and returned to find someone else sitting on them of you forget that you left them on the chair and CRUNCH - time for new glasses!

• Do take your glasses with you wherever you go. If you go out take your glasses out also. Getting into this habit of always taking them with you will protect you from mistakes like leaving them in the car on a hot summer day, or leaving them on the bedside table on the say you are supposed to give a big speech in front of hundreds of people. Remember the glasses only work when you are wearing them. Just owning them is not enough.

Paying attention to this list will make it simple for you to take good care of your prescription and non prescription glasses.