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Eye doctor’s urgent warning to clean your glasses as study finds alarming bacteria lurking
How often do you clean your glasses? Once a week? Once a month? We’re not talking about wiping smears off the lenses. How often do you actually wash your entire glasses with soap? The answer is not enough.
Many people haven’t properly washed their glasses in months, if ever, which is alarming. A new study has found that your eyewear could be harbouring a concerning amount of potentially harmful bacteria which can make you ill.
Harmful bacteria could be lurking on your glasses
Leightons Opticians did a swab test on a contractor’s pair of glasses and found six different types of bacteria swimming on the spectacles, some of which were pathogenic, meaning they cause disease in people.
The study found bacteria on all areas of the glasses, but most were present on the parts that touch the skin, including the nose pads. The six types were: E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Faecal streptococci.
E. coli, Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus can all cause severe food poisoning, while Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa can cause eye infections and issues like conjunctivitis, blepharitis and styes.
“Real-world swab results are eye-opening. While it’s normal for some bacteria to be present on our glasses, the variety found on this pair of glasses demonstrates very clearly that people could be more proactive at cleaning eyewear,” therapeutic optometrist Kiki Soteri says.
A bigger 2018 study swab-sampled 11 pairs of glasses worn by students at university and 10 pairs worn by staff in a nursing home setting and found similar results. All the spectacles were contaminated with bacteria, particularly on the nose pads and ear clips.
How to wash your glasses properly with soap
The optician recommends cleaning your glasses at least once a day with a proper cleaning solution that effectively kills bacteria.
- Wash your hands
- Rinse the glasses with warm water
- Squeeze a small amount of washing-up liquid or mild handwash onto the frame and lenses
- Rub all over the frame and lenses to remove skin oils
- Pay particular attention to the parts that sit on your nose and behind your ears
- Rinse the glasses with warm water
- Dry the frame and lenses with a soft cloth
Your eyewear isn’t the only thing you need to clean either. That water bottle you’ve been using for months is full of bacteria too!
