Can I Buff the Scratches Out of My Lenses?

It can happen quickly and unexpectedly to the best of us–whether the puppy grabbed ahold of your frames when you weren’t looking, or you threw them in your bag without a second thought, lenses can become scratched for a variety of reasons. That’s because materials like plastic, trivex, and polycarbonate alone aren’t immune to the sharper edges of everyday life.

Scratches aren’t just a cosmetic problem. Looking through a pair of scuffed lenses can be annoying at best and visually disruptive at worst. A quick Google search will bring up a plethora of self-help solutions and purported ways to buff out the scratches at home, using a handful of items you likely have in your pantry, and all that hype may have you wondering if it’s really possible.

The real answer? Not really. 

Most online remedies recommend creating a paste with baking soda and water or using toothpaste to try and “buff” the scratches out. But what this is really doing is gradually removing any tints or coatings that have been applied to your glasses, essentially removing the top layers to minimize the depth of the scratch. In theory, it makes sense if the only thing you are focused on is the scratch. But in reality, these methods are damaging to the individual components that make your glasses so effective in the first place. 

Harsher approaches recommend using products such as glass etching creams or metal polish to remove scratches, but again, this will also be much too abrasive on lens features, such as anti-reflective coatings or tints. And once anti-reflective coatings start to come off, appearance and visual clarity can significantly be reduced, effectively trading one problem for another.

If your desire to get rid of the scratches outweighs any desire to preserve the coatings on your glasses, there are professional services that offer to remove the anti-reflective coatings from the lenses completely. If the anti-reflective coatings are the primary source of the scratch, or if they are already flaking off, then this is a satisfactory solution for many patients. For patients local to Portland, Oregon, we recommend Asterix Eyewear on 49th and SE Foster Rd. that provides this service. 

What if your glasses don’t have an anti-reflective coating or any tints? In the event that your glasses have clear, non-coated lenses, the scratch probably isn’t going anywhere, because there was less protection to begin with and the very foundation of the lenses has been compromised. 

So when it comes to scratched up lenses, prevention is truly the best solution, and you can read about our top tips for keeping your lenses scratch-free here. But sometimes our lenses get scratched no matter how hard we try to keep them from harm. What then?

Visit your optician and inquire about a scratch warranty. Many optical shops will provide a one or two year warranty for their lenses, which includes a free replacement when the lenses get scratched. These warranties aren’t always advertised, so it’s beneficial to ask. Some online stores carry similar warranties, but they often come with stricter stipulations when it comes to replacement. If you’re a patient of ours at Portland Eye Care, you can be confident in your investment because any lenses purchased at our clinic with a coating comes with a two-year warranty, meaning you can enjoy your new pair of glasses with peace of mind.