With the summer months upon us, those summertime road trips to the beach and seaside invitations to mouth-watering barbecues may be headed your way. But, as you rejoice in fervently planning out your summer outfits, you may want to take a second look at your glasses.

Yep, we’re here to argue that you should probably stop wearing those glasses to the beach, because as much as it gets downplayed, glasses, sand, and water, just do not mix, and here is why. 

1. Ocean Swimming is Near Impossible

If you jump into the ocean with your glasses on, you’re going to worry about them getting swept out to sea by a big swell or undertow. And, honestly, there’s no real good way to keep them on either. If you do decide to take them off, you’re swimming blindly. Not only does this take away some fun, but it can be downright dangerous if you can’t see the swell coming in behind you. If you’re going to swim in the ocean without your glasses, have a buddy near you at all times.

2. Summer Heat = Sweat

There are plenty of other activities you can do at the beach with your glasses in tow, like flying kites, sun tanning, riding bikes, or playing in the sand, but be prepared to have them constantly sliding off your face. Yep, summer heat and sweat make it difficult to even keep them on.  Oh, and the sunscreen you put on to protect your skin? The oils from it are only going to compound the slip ‘n slide track that is your nose.

3. Scratches & Blurry Patches

Wearing glasses to the beach will place them in harm’s way. Not only from potentially being stepped on after they’ve slipped to the ground from oils and sweat, but the sand can scratch the protective coating on your lenses and the sunscreen can create blurry patches that are tough to clean away. While lense cleaner may help you out here, it doesn’t provide the protection your glasses need.

4. Funky Tan Lines, Anyone?

While you can combat the tan lines with sunscreen, if you forget to reapply, you may end up with funky tan lines. If you’re able to own it and embrace it, you might be okay, but for a lot of us, it can be downright embarrassing. 

5. Opting for Sunglasses is Less Than Ideal

You could always opt for regular sunglasses, but placing these over your regular prescription glasses isn’t going to look all that great. Plus, they may just fall off every time you turn your head or look down at the ground. 

You could opt for prescription sunglasses, but then how do you know when to swap the pairs? While this could be a good alternative, you’ll need to deal with the tedious struggle of changing your glasses every time you move into a shaded area, or head inside. This also means you need to carry your bag or purse with you everywhere. You could choose to purchase transitional glasses; these will solve the problem of needing two pairs, but you and I both know that these are expensive. 

When looking ahead at your summer events, definitely reconsider the glasses. You could opt in for contact lenses or if you and your friends are big time sand and sea lovers, look into vision correction options like LASIK. Otherwise, be prepared to add extra scratch protection to your glasses and bring along those microfiber cleaning cloths, as the sand, water, and oils of the beach are going to give you a tough time.