People in this thread are way more cautious with their glasses than I am. I clean them on my shirt frequently! They do scratch slightly over time, but there’s a 0% chance I’ll consistently remember a cleaning wipe every time I’d need one. I have 0 scratches that I can notice, and my current pair is a bit over a year old. I tend to get a new pair every year or 2, and I highly recommend Zenni! I’ve been buying from them for like 10 years now, 0 issues.

Anti-reflection coating is fantastic, so is the anti-oil coating. Anti-fog coating sucks and it’s worth it (it needs to be “activated” regularly with a special cloth??). The blue light blocking lenses don’t really seem to do anything, but they don’t hurt either.

If you work in an environment where you go from cold to warm and they fog up often, you can get antifog treatments that don’t last forever but do help keep them clear.

Buying a few pairs from cheap online sellers like goggles4u can save you a bunch of money. The antiglare coatings are applied to almost every lens already so don’t bother paying for more coatings.

Buy a few cheap pairs online right away. Expensive glasses are not worth the cost.

I too have mild astigmatism. I used glasses for about 4 years before trying contact lenses. Have been using contacts for 10 years now and i much prefer them.

If you have to wear them constantly, like I do, remember to wipe them down with a gentle soap periodically. The spaces between the frames and the lenses will collect gunk that makes you think something is in your eyes and drive you crazy.

@paris mentioned one online retailer already but to give you another option: I’ve been using Zenni for my prescriptions for a few years now and have been happy with them.

Sometimes a vendor or optometrist isn’t contracted with your vision plan, but you can often submit for reimbursement; some health insurances (since eye health isn’t health, somehow) will also allow you to submit for reimbursement so check your policies, if applicable.

I tend to order two non-tinted pairs and a pair of prescription sunglasses when my Rx changes noticeably - one pair is made of safety polycarbonate (shatter/puncture resistant) and the other is more standard, but it’s nice to have options to choose from. As you go through them, please make sure to donate your old prescriptions! I’ve sent most of mine to the Peninsula Special Interest Lions Club in CA but there are a number of charities that will send your old lenses and frames to people who need them

Clip-on sunglasses suck, and bad ones can damage your frame or glasses. Get some cheap prescription sunglasses. Get a hard clamshell case for it that will also fit your regular glasses for easy swapping.

Also, replace nosepads every year or so and clean the gunk that collects behind it in the nosepad holder leg thingy. That thing is a gunk magnet.

If you can afford it, get another pair with ‘transition’ lenses that get darker in direct sunlight. Regular glasses are going to make sunlight more powerful; I used to get headaches every summer unless I wore a hat all the time. It’s easier to just have the one set that get darker than to fool around with prescription sunglasses and noraml ones.

There are swimming goggles with prescription lenses available. They cost about the same as normal goggles, and make sports much more enjoyable.

If your prescription is mild, you may be able to get away with using reading glasses from the drug store. Most of the bigger places have a rack where you can try them on.

Pets often enjoy chewing on the glasses, so be sure you put them in a safe place every night.

Be careful when cleaning them, otherwise you’ll get scratches. Even expensive ones. Don’t use those wipes with alcohol, it’ll damage them. Either use soap and water with a clean cloth or sponge and dry by dabbing with kitchen paper. You could also get an ultrasound cleaner, which is like a little bath you just put them in. Don’t wipe them when they are not wet.

Keep a copy of your prescription so you can buy glasses online for cheap.

Glasses fog up when you go from cold to warm. Clean the lens with soap water and wipe them off to keep them from fogging up. Or use good ol fashioned spit.

Check the screws and whatnot on the hinges periodically. Sometimes they go loose. Depends on the glasses.

They help keep rain and midges away from your eyes, so that’s nice.

The nosepads get dirty too, so wipe em down every now and then.

If you play sports and you don’t care for contacts, or if you swim, think about getting prescription googles. 100% worth it.

Take them off on the rollercoasters. Put them in your pocket or something.

Buy a spare pair in case of emergencies. This is equivalent to not having a plunger when you need one. You’re gonna regret it!

If you travel by auto when wearing tight clothes be sure to mind the extra clearance needed for your glasses when getting inside! One of my trendy larger frames took a scratch that way soon after getting them. Also don’t limit yourself to just two pairs but instead get some cheap ones to change up your appearance. Accessorize :)