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Opticians Choose Ultrasonic Cleaners

Throughout college, I worked at an optometrist’s office as an optician. One of our jobs was to clean off patient’s glasses when they came in for repairs or adjustments. Usually we could just use our cleaning spray and wipe them off with a microfiber towel to get the lenses and frame clean, but sometimes there were bigger problems. Every once in a while you would see someone who I’m willing to bet cleaned their glasses on average one time a year, and must have worked in the dirtiest environment ever. The amount of filth, grime and whatever else was on those glasses was enough to give you nightmares. No amount of scrubbing or wiping could lift the pure nastiness from those special glasses.

Luckily for us, tucked away safely in our lab was our precious ultrasonic cleaner. For extreme cases like the glasses described above, the ultrasonic cleaner was heaven sent. Instead of us having to touch the glasses, we just dropped them in the water inside the small tank, turned the knob and watched the cleaner do its work. In a couple of minutes we pulled the glasses out of the water, dried them off and they were good as new, just like magic.

Although it certainly does seem like some kind of magic, ultrasonic cleaners work by a relatively simple process. They use high frequencies to clean, degrease or sterilize objects that are dirty. The cleaners produce vibrations caused by the ultrasonic sound waves that are produced when you turn the machine on. These vibrations create tiny bubbles that clean hard to reach areas of the object, without harming the surface of the object. Their efficient and safe cleaning method makes them an ideal choice for manufacturers who have a variety of objects that they need cleaned, since they allow for a high level of control and a fingerprint and smudge free result. Likewise, they will continue to be appreciated by opticians everywhere.