Travel Advice/Travel Tips -  Keeping eyeglasses clean during travel

If you do not wear glasses, you can skip this article, unless you will be traveling with someone whose dirty glasses drive you crazy (and ladies, I'll bet you married someone who might fit this description).

It may just be me, but I find it irritating when smudges on my glasses interfere with reading or seeing clearly.  In addition, I wear prescription sunglasses so dirty lenses seem to proliferate.

I have ruined several pairs of glasses by trying to remove smudges using the closest available rag, only to find out that it contained grit that scarred the lenses of my glasses. I spent the rest of my vacation staring at the scratches on my lenses!

I now use one of two methods to keep my glasses clean when I travel.

1.  Since I start my travel days in a hotel, I carry a small bottle filled with a good quality lens cleaning fluid (e.g. Flents “Optico Opto-Mist) in my toiletries kit.

•  In order to conserve on space, I refill a small bottle recycled from a personal sized container of mouthwash, the “personal” sized bottle carries enough eye glass cleaner for a long vacation.
• (Note, these recommendations are not for use with contact lenses).
  • First, run some water over the lenses to remove any grit that may be on their surfaces.
  • Next, pour on a few drops of lens cleaner on both sides for the lenses, clean the lenses, and dry them on a clean, soft cloth (cotton t-shirts work well).
  • Make sure that all grit is removed from the lenses before you dry them.
    • Don’t use hotel towels for this purpose, as they are often contain stiff fibers and can scratch the lenses on your glasses.

2.  While on the go and away from my hotel and toiletry kit, I use a packaged, pre-moistened lens cleaner when disaster strikes.

• Bausch and Lomb “Sight Savers” are a pre-moistened, individually packaged lens cleaning tissues.
  • They work well and the price is reasonable (less than $6 for a package of 100 at Costco).
  • The individual “Sight Savers” package is small enough to fit several in a pocket and they are extremely convenient to use when you are on the go. I suggest that you try them on your next vacation.
    • The package looks a little like a packaged condom, so you may have some trouble explaining the "Sight Savers" name to your friends if you accidentally drop a pack.

I prefer using lens-cleaning fluid to clean my lenses, as it does a complete job. However, nothing beats the convenience of the packaged tissue solution, especially when you have just noticed that large smudge right in the center of your eyeglasses (you know, where you tried to push the glasses up your nose but missed and left a fat fingerprint on the lens) - just as you get close to the Mona Lisa.

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