Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Remove light scratches from your glasses
• Method 2 of 2: Remove damaged coatings from your lenses
• Warnings
• Tips

There is nothing worse than putting on your glasses and noticing that you can no longer see through them because they are scratched. If you have plastic glasses, there are a few tricks to quickly repair minor scratches with some household remedies. Use one of these methods to remove scratches from plastic lenses yourself.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Remove light scratches from your glasses

1. Clean the surface so that you can better see where the scratches are. Use a product designed specifically for spectacle lenses and a microfiber cloth. You can get this from the optician. In fact, you usually get it for free when you buy your glasses.
2. Apply a remedy to remove the scratches from your glasses. There are all kinds of products that you can use to remove scratches from your glasses. Start by smearing some non-abrasive toothpaste on your glasses. Rub it over the scratches in circular motions and rinse with cold water. If the scratches are deep you have to repeat it a few times.
   • If you don't have a suitable toothpaste, you can make a paste with baking soda and water. Put a tablespoon of baking soda in a bowl and add small amounts of water until you have a thick paste. Rub this paste on your plastic lenses in the same way as the toothpaste and rinse it off if you think the scratches are gone.
3. Wipe away the leftovers. If you don't get all the toothpaste or baking soda away with a cloth or cotton ball, rinse the glasses with cold water and dry with a soft cloth.
4. If toothpaste or baking soda doesn't work, try another remedy. Try polishing the plastic glasses with silver or copper polish and a soft cloth. Spread it over the lenses and wipe with a clean, soft cloth. Repeat this until the scratches are gone.
   • Be careful with the frame when using a product that is not specifically designed for eyeglasses. Don't get it on your frame, because you don't know what will happen to the material.
5. If scratches are still visible, apply a scratch filler. If you still see visible scratches on the surface of your plastic lenses, apply a product that will temporarily fill the scratches with wax. Spread it on your glasses with a microfiber cloth, rub it in circular motions, then wipe it with a clean piece of cloth. This way you can see through your glasses again, but you have to repeat it weekly.
   • Two products that you can use for this are car wax, such as Turtle Wax and furniture wax such as Pledge.
6. Put your glasses back on! Now that you have them fixed you should be able to see much better through your glasses.

Method 2 of 2: Remove damaged coatings from your lenses

1. Buy a paste for etching glass. You can buy this at a hobby store.
   • Etching paste contains hydrofluoric acid, an acid that eats through almost everything except plastic. If you apply it to your glasses it will bite away the coatings but leave the plastic itself intact.
   • You should put on rubber gloves when applying the product, so buy them right away if you don't already have them at home.
2. Put the lenses back in the frame and put on your glasses. Although there is now no scratch-resistant and anti-reflective layer on it, you can now see through it much better.

Warnings

• Be careful - if your lenses have a non-reflective coating, all of these methods will irreparably damage your lenses.

Tips

• Take your glasses to the optician if the scratches remain visible. There they have special devices to remove the scratches by polishing your glasses.
• If you keep getting scratches on your plastic lenses, consider protecting them with a clear coating when you just bought them.
• At the store where you bought the glasses, they usually polish your glasses for free.
• First wash the plastic lenses with warm soapy water to remove any residual bits from the scratches.
• You can also buy a set for polishing plastic, but they are not suitable for cleaning cut plastic glasses. You also remove your coatings, and you may get scratches on your plastic lenses.
• If the anti-reflective coating of your cheap sunglasses comes off, apply a factor of 45 sunscreen on the lenses with a clean cloth. Then the entire layer comes off so that you can see through it better.