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I have a pair of prescription eyeglasses* that have developed very small scratches on the lenses. Over time, these minor scratches have added up where the clarity is now diminished. I have researched online and there seems to be many options.

I have tried rubbing toothpaste on the lenses with a microfiber cloth but there was not any noticeable improvement.

How can I remove these scratches from my eyeglasses?

*' 'eyeglasses' = 'spectacles' or just 'glasses'

MrPhooky
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Ian Rogers
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3 Answers3

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The toothpaste method, as mentioned in your original question, may have to be repeated several times, especially if your glasses had an anti-scratch coating to begin with. [1]

If your plastic lenses have a coating (like anti-reflective coating) on them, then chances are it's just the coating that's scratched. A "thick paste with baking soda and water" may work also. "[R]ub it in a circular motion across lenses with a soft cotton cloth." [2]

Mooseman
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    This way you are only going to make more scratches. There is no way to remove the scratches, only temporary mask them with spray for cleaning glasses or spray for cleaning Lcd monitors – vladiz Dec 24 '14 at 09:50
  • Yes, if there are scratches in the plastic itself, you're out of luck. – Mooseman Dec 24 '14 at 11:02
  • @Mooseman If only the special top layers are scratched, then yes, your method will remove these. However, realize that the top layers are usually also anti-static, causing less dust and other dirtiness, therefore less cleaning of the glasses and less scratches from cleaning. Whence I consider this solution as the last resort and the last chance, not lasting long. – yo' Mar 25 '15 at 18:27
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I've been thinking about using an automotive headlight restoration kit on my OLD glasses. It worked great on several sets of headlights...

In 58 years of wearing glasses and abusing them terribly, these are the first that have developed that slight haze some of you mention. (They came from Kaiser-Permanente's optical shop, FWIW.) I have tried the toothpaste thing, and though it DID make a bit of difference on my watch crystal, it did nothing for my glasses.

I suspect it IS actually caused by the anti-glare or another coating on the lens which is going bad on me. Most of the headlight kits come with ultra-fine abrasives and/or a liquid (i.e., Sylvania) for removing coatings from the headlights as a first step, then a finish coating to fill in the haze left by the micro-abrasives. If I'm successful, I'll post again.

Mark Wallner
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There is no lifehack to good (eyes) health. By definition, scratches = missing material which should not be missing. So no hack can bring the original material back.

The hacks (on a principle level) will do either of these:

  • create a "scratch" so big, that all scratches become one, and they are no longer visible;
  • add just enough material shaping it just properly, so the scratches are filled.

In real life, either of these solutions will change the optical characteristics of the glasses - and therefore, the glasses might damage your eyes, instead of helping them.

In your case, the best hack is to avoid any hack. Just go and have new glasses to replace the old. If you want them to have a longer life, request (some of) the following:

  • use glass instead of plastic for lenses;
  • use extra-resistant glass instead of normal glass to avoid getting scratches fast;
  • request glass with special refraction indices, which will help getting the glasses thinner (and lighter) for the same optical characteristics;
  • request special coatings: protection against scratches, anti-reflection, anti-fog, "automatic" sun glasses etc.

You need to discuss all these details with you optician in order to understand what is best for you, and what is doable. And decide based on the discussion.

Just remember, your eye glasses are not car headlights, and they are not epoxy-resin tables. What works for other purposes, will not work in all cases.

virolino
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