You may have a pair of Ray-Bans and wonder if they are safe to wear in the pool. Will the water hurt the polarized lenses?
In general, Ray-Bans will be fine if they get wet as long as you wipe them dry as soon as possible. However, you should avoid soaking or submerging your polarized glasses. Saltwater and chlorine damage Ray-Bans if left on or submerged for very long.
You can prevent or minimize damage to your Ray-Bans if you accidentally get them wet with saltwater or chlorine by taking quick action. To learn more, read further down.
How Can You Go Swimming With Glasses?
While chlorine is not as likely to harm your Ray-Bans as saltwater, you should not leave your glasses submerged for a long time and be sure to wash them off as soon as possible.
However, if you intend to often go to the pool in them or want to do a lot of water sports, you may want to consider wearing goggles instead to protect them. Many people need their glasses to be able to perform certain activities safely.
Prescription goggles may be a better option than wearing your Ray-Bans to participate in particular sports where water could cause damage to your polarized lenses. Many of these are made specifically for people with myopic vision or shortsightedness. Although the goggles may not be a perfect match for sports, they will likely be close enough.
How does Salt Water Damage Your Ray-Bans?
You know that your Ray-Bans help keep the glare off the water when fishing or canoeing. Ray-Bans protect your eyes from the UV rays from the sun, and you love the way they look. You have heard that saltwater can severely damage your glasses, but how does saltwater damage your polarized lenses?
As a whole, saltwater can damage your Ray-Bans. Moisture, oxygen, and salt are all corrosives, especially to metal frames. These can corrode metal up to five times faster than regular water alone. The coatings on mirrored glasses are metal and are very susceptible to damage from saltwater.
How can you prevent saltwater damage from your Ray-Bans? Can you reduce the danger of corrosion?
Reducing Damage and Corrosion from Saltwater
Beyond being extra careful around saltwater when wearing your Ray-Bans, you can take a few more steps to minimize damage to your glasses.
Keep your glasses from situations where they might get submerged into the saltwater. Sea air is humid, so keep cleaning them throughout the day to prevent corrosion from starting. Wash them often with clean, fresh water and dry them with a non-scratch cloth.
When coming in contact with saltwater, certain anti-reflective coatings can look scratched and worn as if they are many months old if left to the corrosion of saltwater.
How to Take Care of Your Ray-Ban Glasses and Avoid Damage to Them
The best thing to prevent damage to your glasses is to follow the company’s manufacturer’s care instructions. Designed to give your eyes the most protection from the sun’s UV rays and help you experience the vibrant colors Ray-Bans need to be adequately cleaned.
To optimize the job they were made to do, they need to be correctly taken care of at all times. Use only a microfiber cloth to remove fingerprints and dirt from them. Other cloth surfaces may scratch your lenses, making them hard to see through.
When you have streaks that cannot be removed with your micro cloth, use a lens cleaner. Lukewarm water to wash them and then drying them with your microfiber cloth will suffice in most cases. Never use Windex on your Ray-Bans. Chemicals can degrade your polarization and lens coatings. These coatings help with your glare resistance and anti-fogging while still helping prevent scratches.
Gently rub both sides of the lenses with your microfiber cloth and wipe off all parts of the frame. Remember how corrosive saltwater is to metal frames.
When not wearing your Ray-Bans, you should store them in a case to protect them from accidents. Never lay them lense down on a table or other surface. It can scratch them, making them very hard to see through.
To Conclude
If you wear your Ray-Bans to the pool or around saltwater, you will need to be diligent to keep cleaning the water or saltwater off them to prevent damage to the lens or frames. It is especially pertinent if you have mirrored lenses coated with a metal coating and have gotten saltwater on them. Saltwater is very corrosive and can seriously damage your Ray-Bans if left on them for any length of time.
