Anyone who wears glasses sooner or later has to deal with scratches on the lenses that hinder good vision. Many of these damages can be repaired without much effort; depending on the severity of the situation, you may be able to avoid purchasing expensive lenses.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Repair Minor Scratches
Step 1. Apply some liquid to the lenses
You can put the glasses under running water for about a minute or use a specific detergent; alternatively, you can also use a glass cleaning product.
Do not apply any abrasive or acidic chemicals (as will be described in the article). Lenses are typically covered with several layers or surface treatments; when you polish or clean them, you are actually scrubbing those linings. When you need to get rid of scratches, sand them or remove a minimal amount of treatment; it is therefore advisable to reduce this effect as much as possible during the early stages of repair
Step 2. Find a soft, microfiber cloth specifically for cleaning
You need to rub your lenses, so avoid rough fabrics. Although you may believe that these are able to "smooth" the layers of material better, in reality you have to remove the minimum necessary.
It is extremely important to use a microfiber cloth, as the incredibly small size of its fibers makes new scratches or polishing marks so small that they are invisible to the naked eye
Step 3. Make linear movements with the cloth, from side to side of the lenses
Avoid circular or spiral trajectories, as they create round smudges on the outside of the lenses.
Method 2 of 3: Repair Major Scratches with Toothpaste
Step 1. Spread the toothpaste on the scratched lenses
This cleaner contains microscopic abrasive particles that sand the outer layers of the material.
Step 2. Get a soft fabric to scrub the product
Again, do not choose an abrasive or rough cloth, otherwise you will create additional scratches.
Step 3. Rub the toothpaste onto the surface using linear movements
Avoid circular ones as they leave some round streaks.
The abrasive ingredients of the toothpaste are more aggressive than the microfiber cloth alone; if you focus on a single area for too long, you could go through the layers of the surface treatment and damage the core of the lens
Step 4. Rinse off the cleaner
You can use warm water, glass cleaner, or a combination of the two.
Step 5. Perform the final cleaning with a microfiber rag
Remove any smudges or traces of toothpaste.
Method 3 of 3: Repair Severe Scratches with an Acid Substance
Step 1. Purchase the necessary materials
Typically, chemical etching of glass involves the use of a rather strong acid that "burns" or "carves" an image into the material. For this procedure in particular, the acid is used to remove the outer layer of the lens. You need:
- An acid for chemical etching of glass; there are products of different brands, you can ask the clerk of the fine arts shop for advice;
- High quality rubber gloves to protect your hands;
- Cotton swab or other similar material to apply the acid to the glass.
Step 2. Spread the substance on the lens using cotton swabs
Don't rub it, just apply it to the surface; since the liquid is acidic, it should act rather quickly. Use the smallest dose needed to coat the lens.
Step 3. Leave the liquid on the lens for no more than 5 minutes
Remember that it contains strong acids and excessive exposure could damage the lenses.
Step 4. Wash off the acid
Use water to wash it off your lenses, unless the packaging has different instructions. Wash your glasses thoroughly to make sure no chemical traces remain.
Step 5. Clean the lenses with a microfiber rag
Use it to scrub and dry your glasses with linear movements.
Warnings
- You should apply the techniques described in the article only on shatterproof lenses with surface treatment. Most of the lenses that are currently produced respect these characteristics, but you cannot repair older ones following this method.
- Whatever you do, proceed with caution; glasses are expensive, use common sense.
- Be aware that any type of polishing removes some of the protective coating present on the material.
