How to polish the lenses of scratched reading glasses?

[wesstoney]

How to polish the lenses of scratched reading glasses?

The lenses are made of plastic, no extra coatings. Was advised and did try to polish them with:

1. Woolen fabric, wet and covered with toothpaste.
2. Woolen fabric, wet and covered with car polish.

None worked, the scratches on surface of the lenses worsened.
(the toothpaste combination worked on the plastic frame only)

Any help,please?

Anne

[Kobuchi]

How deep are the scratches? You said toothpaste and car polish worsened the scratches - do you mean they filled with compound or do you mean the compound made scratches of its own?

In any case, the surface must be *scratched* down to the bottoms of the deepest scratches, first, before smoothing. I suspect you'll need courser abrasive, something dug out from under the sink and maybe even steel wool (depends on how deep the deepest scratches are!) but experiment cautiously. Having uniformly scratched your lenses, you may now progress with incrementally finer abrasives (replacing deep scratches with shallower ones) until you work up to buffing with toothpaste and all is clear.

[kaybyrd]

If they are prescription reading glasses, then I would take them to the doctor (or whomever prepared the glasses for you) and see if they can get the scratches out for you. Otherwise, you may make them worse before better. Glasses are so expensive (lenses are anyway) so I would check that route first instead of risking damaging them worse and having to replace them.

Kay

[twelvepole]

Plastic lenses do scratch, even those with scratch resistant coatings. Abrasive cleaners should never be used on plastic lenses. Paper towels and rough fabrics will scratch lenses. Deep scratches can be caused by rough handling. Clean with soft towel and only with recommended lens cleaner. The microfiber lense cloths are excellent.


As suggested, take glasses to optometrist to see if they can be salvaged. If frames are in good shape and prescription is recent, you may be able to replace only the lenses.

[frhrwa]

I realize this is an old post, but I have two cents to add... if these are plastic, non prescription, or for that matter even prescription that you aren't planning on returning to the eye doctor.. if the scratches are the normal wear and tear everyday scuffs, use some of that furniture wax in the spray can, usually lemon scent, can't remember the name, but... it fills the scuffs and shines the lens's up real nice.. won't get rid of really deep scratches but it will get rid of the scuff's.. oh.. I think its PLEDGE.. I use it on my reading glasses and my sun glasses.. always scuffing them..

[MiguelLopez]

Dicovered by accident while polishing my wife's van that turttle wax polishes oxidized headlights real good then went over it without spending a penny on those headlight polishers. Then I tought about my expensive prescription scratched glasses that it could work, then went online got wool mini buffers from Harbor Freight and using my drill and turttle wax got them polished real good. Crystal clear, before went to the optical place and asked them about polishing them because they were like 4 months old and scratched by accident while playing and they said NO need another set.