h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have just been through one of those transitions in life that come to us all in the end. For some time now, I had been reading small print by holding it at arm's length and squinting. But there comes a time when that technique isn't enough any more; when, as the optician I went to see this week put it, you simply run out of arm.

And so I have become the owner of two pairs of reading glasses. They're rectangular with neat thin frames, and so make me look very much like this except that I still have all my hair and I'm not yellow. I'm very pleased with them; I can now take a to bed at the end of a long day and actually read it easily. Most of the time I don't need my specs, and when I do wear them I think they make me look quite mature and learned.

I realise, however, that many of my h2g2 friends are far more experienced glasses-wearers than I am. So can you give me any tips on specs maintenance?

Don't sit on them. they don't react very well to it.

Don't take them off by only one arm- I do that all the time and now have lopsided glasses.

Don't wear glasses myself... But my Fathers technique appears to be ensure they're never in any kind of protective case, and leave them on the dash board in a work van amongst the hand tools and various pieces of spare parts actually, probably best not to do that... his glasses are useless

Wash them (lenses and frames) with liquid dish detergent, the kind you use for hand washing dishes. Rinse thoroughly and dry gently with a lint-free paper towel or cloth.

As said above, always put them on and remove them with two hands to avoid warping them.

And it is good you got two pair. People that don't wear glasses all the time tend to misplace them because they are always popping them on and off.

From experience I advise you not to leave your specs on when falling asleep or playing football.

Traveller in Time patient
"Still can read the print on 'Surface Mounted Device' (SMD) components.

Know from colleagues; it is best to store them everywhere, just make sure there is always one pair in reach. Oh and they do not last forever . "

Keep them clean, keep them clean, keep them clean. That's the best advice I can give you. Use an optical grade cloth and wash it frequently. Don't wipe the lenses while dry.

Also, don't set them down to rest on the lenses. You can't clean scratches.

Now where is my cleaner? My glasses are filthy.

That last reply sums it all up.

When you get them they often give you a nice spec case, a handy wipe cloth and sometimes even a spray cleaner.

I think in 25 years of wearimg specs I can count the number of time I've used detergent and the tap to remove grit first on one hand. I almost never put them in the case, I've sat on them thousands of times and blah de blah. And I wear mine every waking hour (except in the gym or the swimming pool).

You'll look after them for about two weeks and then just forget, not bother etc.
They'll still last you until you need a new pair unless you're really unlucky.

I'm surprised you aren't asking for my lens clothe Marv, you usually do. Follow what they all said.

Oh, and don't stand on the island in the middle of a road, trying to pull a knitted sweater over your head at 1 am in a more-than-mild buzz and get the glasses caught by a thread on the inside of the sweater. The hard landing on the road will severely break both glasses

As this thing happened on a big, traditional Christmas party evening, actually on the way home from one, Bob only knows how I managed to sell the story to the insurance so they paid...

If one of the lenses unexpectedly falls out whilst you're wearing them. Stand stock still and then look around for the very small screw that has worked its way loose and has just fallen out, causing the frames to fail and the lens to fall. You will find it, and it will be within about 18 inches of where you are currently standing.

You'll need a small precision screwdriver to fix the screw back in place. So you might as well go out and buy that now as you will one day need it.

Don't slip them into your shirt pocket and then run for a bus... or for any other reason

"You'll need a small precision screwdriver to fix the screw back in place."

I tend to use my thumbnail.

Those tiny screwdrivers are fabulous. Definitely get one. Especially if you bite your nails.

My problem is the opposite of yours, Ormy. I can read perfectly well without my glasses. But I'm blind as a bat when it comes to distance. And have an astigmatism, which make contacts tricky. I wore contacts when I was younger, but have given up on them.

The point of a chef's knife will work almost as well as a precision screwdriver but can burr the crosshead of the screw if you're not careful. I sometimes find myself having to employ one at work.

I have this idea that Ormy got more than he asked for?

Using a chef's knife is only practical if you can see well enough to manipulate your glasses, a tiny little screw, and thundering great big knife. And if you can, what the heck are you wearing glasses for in the first place?

Thanks for all the advice - that is a great response! I did indeed get nice cases and cleaning cloths with my specs and, so far, have kept using them. Marv, I'll remember that point about not putting them down lens first - it's obvious when you think about it, but you could so easily *not* think about it and ruin your glasses. I do have a set of very small screwdrivers which would hopefully help in the sort of emergency Mr. Desk described. And it is good to know that washing-up liquid works as well for cleaning as any expensive specialist cleaner.

Baggy, I'm ashamed to say that I have already woken up with a pair of specs alongside me in bed - thankfully undamaged. Reading in bed is great, but I must remember to put my glasses away before I start to !

Given that I take my glasses off to read, I'm not sure what my excuse for sleeping on them is.

Er... I put on my spare pair so I can see to work on the good ones with the knife GD

The reason I don't wear the spare pair until I can get home and work on the others with a screwdriver is that I got the spare pair from lost property and they're a bit nerdy