Does anyone know how to remove scratches from eyeglass lenses?
Marie from Petersburg, VA
I have found that using the lens cleaner for my CD player works very well (12/03/2005)
By Stacey Liddle
There is a cream for taking scratches out of face masks for kids hockey helmets. Most sport stores handle it. I have used it on my motorcycle windshield and it works great. Maybe this will work on glasses too. (12/20/2005)
By Tom Mann.
Do not use etching creme! That is used to scratch glass to create images. (12/20/2005)
By Paula in GA
My glasses went flying across the parking lot one day (don't ask) and were hopelessly scratched. I went to the eye doctors to get another pair and they fixed them for free! Ask to see if they can be fixed. Looking through scratched lenses is not good for your eyes. (12/20/2005)
By Linda Howe
I would take the glasses back to an optical shop, you never said if the lenses were glass or most likely plastic, coated or not. some things good for glass is not good for the plastic lens.
P.S. I have heard of using black grease pencil for sunglasses, mark over glass and buff it out with soft cloth. not sure if it would work on regular glasses. (12/20/2005)
By Dee
Liquid Lense is not worth a darn it just fogs the glasses they are voluntarily giving everyone's money back that bought it. At least we received a letter from them haven't received the refund yet but I did send the remaining bottle back. (12/20/2005)
By janneba
My hubby put a soft cloth on his electric drill and buffed his glasses, he took the lens out, worked great, getting ready to ask him to do mine. (12/21/2005)
By jmz2005
I think this is a job for the pros. Take the glasses to the place where you bought them and they will likely buff out the scratches for free (It's an easy thing to do and creates good will and lasting customers.) (12/21/2005)
By Claudia-MD
put a bit of baby oil on each lens and buff with a soft cloth like a chamois. Works for me. (12/22/2005)
By Carol Smith
I was just at my eye doctors about my glasses because of scratches on the lens. They told me that it was anti-reflective coating wearing off of them and they cannot fix that. (12/22/2005)
By B
I asked the place where I got my eyeglasses if they could buff out the superficial scratches on my lenses, they said that they do not do that, but to try Pledge furniture polish because it will fill in the scratches. I just used this method not ten minutes ago and low and behold it works! Not all of the scratches disappeared, but the majority of them did! If you have plastic lenses, you may not want to go this route. (01/15/2006)
By Yomamma
I live in an isolated/remote area. My glasses are scratched. I have tried all the hints mentioned on this site and nothing worked. Toothpaste made the glass worse. What I did not realize until I read it here was it could be the reflective coating wearing off with the scratches and I am now making it worse. Guess I will be squinting until I make it back into civilization. (01/17/2006)
By Samantha
Wright's Silver Polish worked great on my CDs as per their website; ask them if they've had success on plastic lenses. Microsponges like Mr Clean are great for any type of glass but not on clear and soft plastics!
(02/26/2006)
There is a product for removing anti-reflective coating from eyeglasses. I work in an optical lab and have done this many times.There is some risk but if done properly it works almost all of the time.You might try contacting an optical lab. (04/08/2006)
By Ron
i just used a dvd/CD repair kit, it worked great. I put a drop of solution on scrape and buffed with soft buffer by hand for a minute, wiped off residue and no more scrape. My transition lenses still work perfectly and they look brand new. Saved me 235$. As I have not seen this method listed anywhere I just wanted to get it out there.
By Bryan
Don't put your glasses in a microwave, and don't polish them with toothpaste or furniture polish. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Take them to an optometrist for an opinion.
Don't bother with Liquid Lense. All it does is cover the scratches with a temporary polymer coating to give the appearance that the scratches are gone. They're not, and the additional coating can muck up your prescription. Anything that sounds too good to be true probably is (don't you think that other more reputable companies would be offering such a product if it actually worked?).
(08/17/2006)
By Bruce
Eye glasses can be made of several different materials:
Trivex, Polycarbonate, High Index, Plastic, Glass
Trivex combines the crisp optics of plastic lenses with the durability, light weight, and impact resistance of polycarbonate lenses making Trivex an excellent choice for three-piece mountings.
Polycarbonate lenses are thinner and lighter than traditional plastic eyeglass lenses. In addition, they are very impact resistant. This durability makes them a good choice for children's glasses, drill mount frames, sports eyewear and safety glasses.
High Index lenses have been created in a variety of new plastic materials that bend light more than the conventional plastic used for eyeglasses. This means less lens material can be used to correct the same amount of refraction.
Plastic lenses are much lighter and less breakable than glass lenses. They are great for prescription sunglasses due to their tintability factor. You an virtually tint a plastic lens to any color.
Glass was the first lens material used to make modern-day eyeglasses. Its earliest use is documented back to the 13th century in Venice, Italy. Glass lenses have excellent optical qualities, but are heavy and uncomfortable to wear.
On top of all of this, different glasses have different coatings made with different materials. All of these coatings have different chemical properties, react differently to different solvents, and have different hardnesses.
Glass, and all of the different plastics (polymers) used in eyeglass lenses have different hardnesses, and are dissolve in different solvents.
Pledge may work fantastically on one polymer, but cause another to melt.
Toothpaste may not contain an abrasive hard enough to scratch glass, but it may absolutely ruin plastic lenses. Also, the abrasive in Toothpaste isn't fine enough to get an optical quality 'buff' on any material, so this method is just ridiculous.
Microwaving your lenses is just idiotic, those polymers all have different melting points, and it would take superheated steam to melt a scratch in a glass lense.
Unless you are a chemist or an engineer, don't try to fix your eyeglasses unless you know EXACTLY what you are doing. (08/23/2006)
By Will
I'm actually having pretty good luck with my polycarbonate lenses by using the Rain-X towelettes I bought at Wal-Mart automotive department. After cleaning with the Rain-X, I polish them with a microclothe. The scratches are still visible, but seem to distort the image much less. (10/07/2006)
By David
I found this thread while looking for a way to fix my own lenses. My anti-reflective coating was peeling and spotting terribly. I will never get AR coating again, although it cuts down on glare, it's a magnet for dirt and grease and peels quickly.
On another (optometrists' professional association) thread, I found the suggestion to use glass etching cream (available from arts & crafts stores). This only works on PLASTIC LENSES. DO NOT USE ON GLASS LENSES. Apparently, AR coating, like glass, is silicate based so the glass etching cream eats off the coating but does not damage the plastic lenses because they are polymers, no silicate based.
You brush a thick layer of the cream on each lens, wait 20-30 minutes, and rinse with lukewarm water. Be careful of metal frames and the screws of your glasses, as the cream will damage metal. (My frames are plastic). I just tried this, and it worked great! Hope this helps someone. (12/08/2006)
By Colleen
Do not use toothpaste for several reasons: it makes such small scratches on plastic lenses that they appear foggy, it leaves mineral buildup in the scratches making them more visible. Don't use that lens doctor junk either, it is difficult to apply just right so that it doesn't leave streaks and the bristles of the brush will come off and stick to the coating. It only lasts a day or so or until you try to clean them. It's the worst $10 I ever spent. (12/12/2006)
By Seth
I read all these suggestions as well as some from another website. I tried Pledge and it helped a little bit. What DID work very well was silver polish! The particular brand that I used was Hagerty silversmith's polish, a bottle I have had sitting on a shelf for years. I don't know if that particular brand is still sold or not. And I don't know if the brand really matters. It worked for me. (12/28/2006)
By Bill Porter
I use a high speed buffing wheel and very mild abrasive. I used a jewelers buffer. The abrasive was designed to remove the gold welding line left when rings are sized by cutting and welding. It cuts metal, gold. It will cut a line in your glasses if you use too much pressure.
At one time I used this method to remove scratches from used-returned electronics items, radios etc.
Use a very light touch and practice on something you do not value or can afford to discard. This method removes a layer of plastic so you must remove an even amount across the lens. It will not remove deep scratches but it will remove clouding caused by using toothpaste and low speeds. (01/03/2007)
By justruckn
Take them to your eye doctor, a lot of things here sound a lot like trying to fix your car with lawn furniture and garden hose. (01/16/2007)
By Bluntman
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