Eyeglass Scratch Remover: Use it or not?

Countless times I have been asked if there is an eyeglass scratch remover for scratched lenses.

My answer is YES there are eyeglass scratch repair kits. The bad news is THEY DON'T WORK.

Sorry if I disappoint you, but you waste money if you buy something like this. Better use this money to help you get some new lenses. If you still buy such a scratch filler, you will realize at first hand that it does not help and the worst, you can damage your lenses forever.

Helpful Tips

For lenses free of scratches, keep your glasses safe, to avoid the situation where you ask the question: „How can I remove the scratches?” I recommend for this:

Put your glasses in an eyeglass case whenever not using them
Use a microfiber cloth to clean the lenses
If your glasses are extremely dirty wash them before wipe the lenses

But accidents happen and then the only one who can help is the optician. But let's see what happens when you scratch the lens and what can be done.

Most lenses have layers

The lenses are either plastic, glass, polycarbonate or trivex, they are sold most often with coatings like hardening, anti-reflective coating, etc. Each of these coatings is a foil attached to the lens. The more treatments, the more foils on the surface one above the other.

So, in most cases, when an accident happens, the coatings are scratched and not the lens material. If the scratch is deep, then it will damage the raw material also.

If the scratches are superficial

This means it does not exceed the protective layers, then you can go to an optical store and ask for replacing your coatings. Get off the old and replace with new ones.

This method works only if the scratches are shallow. I must warn you though that this process can be extremely expensive. The price depends on:

The material of the lens
Number of layers
Types of treatment applied to the lens

Therefore, it is necessary to ask before, to avoid any surprises. And if the price is high, it may be better to buy new lenses.

If the scratches are deep

Here, we talk about scratches, cracks in the lens that are not limited to the protective layers. In this case there is nothing to do, lenses must be replaced with new ones.

In this area was not invented a miracle machine yet, that can polish or buff the scratches. Not even a perfect solution to make scratches disappeared.

Existing kits do nothing than to fill scratches or dissolve the surface of the lens (here I mean the plastic lens) and damage the protective layers. You realize that the quality of vision through that lens will be compromised forever.

Think about this: would not be cheaper for optician to fix the lens under warranty with an eyeglass scratch remover than to change it? Costs would be much lower. But it is impossible.

Lenses without coatings

Although rarely are sold lenses without any layer, once such a lens is scratched, it is clear it has to be replaced.

If you qualify for the manufacturer's warranty, maybe you are lucky, and they will be changed for free.

Examples of eyeglass scratch removers that does not work

Many ideas presented on the internet or in commercials, after presenting the process for removing scratches, finally warns you that your layers will be spoiled if you have ones on lenses. And then what, because most lenses have layers.

Warning!!! Do not use these methods, I give these examples to be avoided!

See the warning at the end of the following web page:

www.wikihow.com/Remove-Scratches-From-Plastic-Lens-Glasses

So my advice is to use eyeglass accessories in order to prevent damaging your glasses. If it happens to scratch them, consult your optician before you take any decisions based on eyeglass scratch remover commercials.