We see a few orders and a few queries due to broken specs, which have suffered a variety of mistreatments. So a cautionary tale……

If play cricket, squash, or do a lot of lawn mowing near gravel paths, then don’t go for glass lenses. These are still used nowadays as the best thin material lenses are glass, and they’re also used because people think plastic scratches too easily. If you want thin glass lenses then you need a plastic pair of lenses too for tasks or hobbies where the lens might shatter.

If your spectacle frames are very curved, or have a wide trim piece between the front and the side, then make sure your spectacle case is wide enough to accommodate your glasses. Don’t squash them into a soft or very narrow case – they might look as if they fit, but over time you’ll be putting pressure on the bridge area of the frame, and eventually it will crack, right across the centre of the frame!

If the weather does warm up, and we get a summer, take care not to leave your glasses where they can get very hot. This means not leaving them on a dashboard or windowsill, where the temperature can soar. Heat will buckle your frames, and may damage your lenses. It can stop your photochromic lenses from working properly, and can cause crazing across coated lenses.

If you break your frames don’t ever be tempted to try superglue as a repair. Firstly, it’s rare that it will work, and you might end up with a bit of frame stuck to your finger, your face or your hair! Secondly, fumes from the glue or the slightest smudge of it on your lenses will damage the lens surface and make it useless. You have been warned!