The surprising reason opticians warn against cleaning glasses with tissues

Smudged lenses, a breath on the glass, a tissue pulled from your pocket. It feels automatic, almost polite, like wiping your feet before you walk in. You press, you rub, the smear disappears under the paper and the world looks a bit sharper. It’s a tiny act of care that carries a quiet, hidden cost.

An optician once watched me do this in the waiting area. She winced in that small, professional way and handed me a soft cloth from her desk. “Please don’t use tissues on those,” she said. “They’re not just glass.” I nodded, slightly embarrassed, and looked again at the lenses I’d been “loving” with paper for months. Under the light, I could see a faint web of lines I’d never noticed.

The shock isn’t that tissues leave fluff. It’s what they leave behind that you can’t see straight away.

Your lenses aren’t just glass any more

Modern lenses are layered, not bare. Even if you’ve been told they’re “plastic”, they’re usually made from lightweight polymers with ultra-thin coatings stacked on top. Anti-reflective, anti-scratch, blue-light filters, UV blockers – invisible films layered thinner than a human hair. They turn a simple lens into a tiny piece of engineering.

Tissues, kitchen roll, the corner of a paper napkin – all feel soft to your fingers. On a microscopic level, they’re anything but. Many are strengthened with tiny wood fibres and fillers like calcium carbonate to stop them falling apart when wet. Press that against a coated surface, add a bit of dust, and you’ve made a very gentle sanding pad.

A dispensing optician in Bristol put it bluntly: “People think they’ve scratched the glass. Nine times out of ten, they’ve actually scraped the coating.” Once that coating is clouded, light scatters instead of passing through cleanly. The result is a permanent, milky haze that no bottle of cleaner will fix.

Why tissues slowly sand your sight

The problem isn’t one enthusiastic rub, it’s repetition. Each time you swipe a tissue across the lens, any grit, skin oil, and airborne dust trapped in the paper get dragged with it. On day one, you might see nothing. After a few weeks, night-time halos feel just a bit stronger. Months later, oncoming headlights bloom into stars and screens seem to glow even when they’re dim.

Paper products are engineered to be strong when wet and slightly textured so they can lift mess. That texture gives friction, and friction is the enemy of thin coatings. Add in the temptation to “buff” a stubborn fingerprint with more pressure, and you’re effectively polishing away the protective layer you paid extra for.

There’s also the moisture issue. Many people breathe on their lenses first, then use tissue. That quick fog feels harmless, but water plus pressure can push minute particles deeper across the surface, etching faint tracks. The tissue looks clean when you’re done. The damage simply hasn’t grown loud enough for you to notice yet.

The way opticians actually want you to clean them

The routine that protects your lenses is almost boringly gentle. Lukewarm water from the tap, a dot of mild washing-up liquid, clean fingers, then a soft, lint-free cloth. No drama, no vigorous scrubbing. Just enough slip so that dust glides away instead of being dragged.

Here’s a simple rhythm that matches how opticians do it behind the scenes:

• Rinse lenses under lukewarm running water to lift grit and dust.
• Add a tiny drop of washing-up liquid to each side, then gently rub with your fingertips.
• Rinse thoroughly until the water sheets off cleanly.
• Shake off excess water and pat dry with a clean microfibre cloth designed for lenses.

Let’s be honest: you won’t do the full water-and-soap routine every time your glasses catch a fingerprint. That’s where a decent microfibre cloth and a small, alcohol-free lens spray earn their space in your bag or desk drawer. A couple of light sprays, a gentle wipe from centre to edge, and you’re done.

What matters most is what you don’t reach for in a hurry: no tissues, no kitchen roll, no shirt hem with a day’s worth of crumbs.

Small habits that quietly ruin expensive lenses

Most scratched specs don’t get ruined in one bad decision. They get worn down by little habits that feel caring on the surface. A quick dry wipe on your jumper. Leaving glasses lens-down on a table. Tossing them un-cased into a bag with keys and coins. Each move trades a bit of clarity for a bit of convenience.

Opticians see the pattern every week. A parent brings in a child whose “new” glasses already look tired. A driver complains about glare on night roads. A student can’t understand why their blue-light lenses look smeary even when freshly cleaned. Under the practice lamp, the same story appears: swirl marks, fine arcs, tiny straight scratches, all pointing to paper, fabric, or grit.

The surprise is how much you can undo by changing almost nothing. Case on when they’re not on your face. Rinse before you wipe if you’ve been in wind, sand, or dust. Wash your microfibre cloths regularly, because a dirty cloth turns back into sandpaper. It’s not about babying your glasses; it’s about stopping your “care” routine from slowly wrecking them.

“If people stopped using tissues and T-shirts, they’d get years more out of their lenses,” one optometrist told me. “Half my ‘my prescription’s wrong’ complaints are actually scratched coatings.”

• Keep a dedicated lens cloth in your bag, your car, and by your desk.
• Use lukewarm water and a dot of washing-up liquid for proper cleans.
• Avoid tissues, kitchen roll, and clothing, even when you’re in a rush.
• Store glasses in a case, never lens-down on a hard surface.
• Swap microfibre cloths when they feel greasy or look grey.

See better, spend less, squint less

There’s a quiet satisfaction in putting on glasses that still look new after a year. No mystery fog, no ghostly streaks that appear every time you drive at night. Just clear, calm vision that lets your eyes relax instead of constantly fighting little distortions.

Tissues feel like the easy option because they’re everywhere – desks, handbags, glove compartments. The small shift is accepting they’re brilliant for noses and spills, and terrible for lenses. A single microfibre cloth, a tiny bottle of cleaner, and the occasional trip to the sink beat another pair of scratched, prematurely “old” specs.

You paid for the coatings that make your lenses lighter, clearer, and kinder on your eyes. The right few seconds of care protect that investment far better than a pocket full of paper ever will.

Key point	Detail	Why it matters
Lenses are coated, not bare glass	Modern coatings are ultra-thin and easily scratched	Tissues can damage coatings long before the lens itself
Paper acts like fine sandpaper	Wood fibres + dust + pressure create micro-scratches	Night glare, haze, and blur creep in over time
Gentle cleaning works best	Water, mild soap, and microfibre do the heavy lifting	Clearer vision, longer lens life, fewer replacements

FAQ:

• Are lens wipes better than tissues? Single-use wipes labelled for glasses are generally safe because they’re made from non-abrasive fibres and pre-soaked in cleaner. Use gentle pressure and avoid generic “antibac” wipes not designed for lenses.
• Can I use my T-shirt if it’s clean? Fabric, even soft cotton, traps dust and can scratch coatings, especially when dry. In a pinch, a proper lens cloth is always safer than clothing.
• Do I really need special lens cleaner? Not always. Lukewarm water and a tiny drop of mild washing-up liquid work well at home. A lens-safe spray is handy when you’re out and about.
• How often should I clean my glasses properly? A full water-and-soap clean a few times a week is enough for most people, with gentle cloth-and-spray touch-ups as needed.
• What if my lenses already look scratched? Opticians can check whether it’s dirt, damaged coating, or a deeper scratch. Minor haze can sometimes be managed, but badly worn coatings usually mean new lenses if you want truly clear vision again.