One wrong wipe and the first scratch is on the lens. "Most sports glasses are not destroyed by falls, but by incorrect care," says eyewear expert Flo Pflanzl from Naked Optics.
Sports glasses lenses are always made of plastic. Hard objects such as stones or metal can quickly scratch the lenses. Never rub the inside of goggles or ski goggles with or without double lenses! The reason: the inner lens is anti-fog coated. "If you rub over this coating, you rub this coating off," says Pflanzl. If it is scratched or gone, the glasses will tarnish permanently. Therefore, only clean the outside and carefully dab the inside - never rub! Ideally with a microfibre cloth. Otherwise, always dry the glasses thoroughly before packing them away.
Sports glasses are usually less sensitive, but not indestructible. In general, all glasses are made of plastic; hard objects such as stones or metal can easily scratch the lenses.
"Wash the glasses with lukewarm water without any detergent, air dry and clean with the microfibre bag," is Pflanzl's recommendation. No soap! The problem: it depends on the pH value. This can attack the coating.
Pflanzl's rule of thumb: if in doubt, do not use soap. Handkerchiefs are also taboo: "They often have mineral-based plastics that can scratch the coating."
Problem: Drops of sweat on the glass
"It's very important that you don't wipe over it, because then you'll scratch 100 per cent of the glass!" First dissolve the crystals with lukewarm water, then dab them off. The care of photochromic glasses is the same as for sports glasses.
Summarised: What not to use?
- No alcohol-based cleaners
- No window cleaner
- No standard paper handkerchiefs
- No chemical cleaning agents
- No soap with an unknown pH value
- Never leave the glasses in water for a long time - the coating can come off completely!
Interview with Flo Pflanzl from Naked Optics
Let's start with goggles - i.e. downhill and ski goggles. What do I need to consider when caring for them?
First things first: goggles are the most complex product because downhill and especially ski goggles often have double glazing - two lenses instead of one. This works on the window glass principle to compensate for the difference in temperature between outside and your body heat.
The inner lens has an anti-fog coating. If you rub this coating with a cleaning cloth, it will wear off. If the coating is removed, the goggles will tarnish permanently.
Does that mean I shouldn't clean the inside at all?
Cleaning the outside is relatively relaxed, there are no problems. On the inside, we only recommend dabbing - do not rub! Take a microfibre cloth or the microbag supplied and dab the glass carefully. If you rub it hard, the anti-fog coating will be ruined immediately.
Are there no sprays that can be applied afterwards?
In our opinion: no. The coating is incorporated from the outset and is difficult to reproduce afterwards.
What else is there to consider with goggles - keyword storage?
Very important: store in a dry place! The goggles must dry completely after riding before you put them in the goggle case. Otherwise the foam will not dry out. You should also always remove the goggles from the helmet - this will prevent the strap from wearing out so quickly.
And please do not pretension the glasses on the chin strap! This massively overstretches the strap. These are elastic straps, and at some point the small fibres will tear and the strap will be worn out.
Many people swear by soap when cleaning - isn't that better?
Better without! The problem: it depends on the soap and the pH value. Soap often attacks the coating. If you don't know the pH value of your soap - and most people don't - then if in doubt, it's better to use no soap at all, just warm water.
What about the nose parts, which often become sticky?
We don't have a solution either. This is a known problem with many manufacturers. We offer replacement nose parts that you can buy later.
Let's move on to self-tinting glasses. Do other rules apply?
Our recommendation is the same as for normal sports glasses: lukewarm water without chemicals, rinse briefly and then dab off. The good photochromic lenses have no problem with this.
You don't offer photochromic lenses yourselves. Why is that?
There is a reason: with classic photochromic lenses you have a loss of performance over time. The glass degrades. If it was originally category 1 to 3, it often no longer manages the full range after 2-3 years. But there are exceptions.
Laurin Lehner
Editor
