POLISH big scratches out of your glasses 

To anybody reading this, do not sand your glasses lenses. If your glasses have a bunch of tiny scratches that makes it hard to see at night and really steps on color clarity, all you need to do is buy some rubbing compound, and a microfiber towel. Pop the lenses out and work the compound in by hand. It'll minimally change the strength of the lenses, and it'll make them clear right up.

I've been wearing high prescription glasses now for 50+ years & can share 3 basic things that will help keep your lenses in good condition for a long time 1) DO NOT get Anti-Glare The coating is notorious for crazing (developing "cracks" or spider webs) across the lenses within a year or less 2) Wash glasses daily with liquid soap & warm water & MOST important to prevent scratches ONLY dry with a clean soft cotton or microfiber cloth 3) Store your glasses in its case when you go to sleep or whenever not in use

I tried this to get rid of my scratches, but without wearing my glasses I accidentally cleaned my lens with a scratch pad from my kitchen sink. Now I can't see a thing, but the sandpaper worked great on my dirty dishes. Thanks😁

This is the patient that brings their glasses back saying “I don’t know how they got this way, must be a lens defect” 🤪

I rubbed mine with Ramen noodles, now I can see through walls

In short; don't do what he's doing! In this case you should dissolve and remove the antiglare coating with a product called Armour Etch. Doing so usually makes the lenses look brand new. As long as the lenses are plastic, DO NOT use Armour Etch on glass lenses... On some glasses it seems like this method won't work at first but just keep applying it and they usually clear out. If the (plastic) lens has micro scratches and no coating you can use a product called Pollywatch and a cotton round to rub away all scratches, this will also make the lenses look brand new. If the scratch is deep enough to be felt with your fingernail you unfortunately won't get it out. Avoid any abrasive as far as possible! But if you really need to I'd suggest 5000 grit or higher and then Pollywatch. Keep in mind that any sanding will totally alter the prescription. On one pair I had to do Armour Etch first and then Pollywatch to get the lenses clear again. Be careful removing the lenses if they are pressfitted, this can easily break the lens or frame, this will even happen to opticians with brand new stuff sometimes. If you can remove the lenses safely, do so. Avoid getting Armour Etch on your frames (or yourself). Taking care of your glasses like this will save you hundreds of dollars in the long run. You're welcome! /Jesper

The moment you said 1200 sand paper I decided to stay for the rest of this joke

I used to work in a optical lab.. just wanted to say a few things. Firstly you most likely changed your prescription by doing that. Our brains are capable of making corrections to what we see so you may not notice it but after a while you’ll start getting headaches because the brain is being overworked compensating for the incorrect prescription. With that being said, try using maybe a chemical thinner to remove the coating if you really want to do this. That’s what we do but we use a super abrasive acid. I don’t recommend people play with that. Maybe something like Apple cider vinegar (which is much safer) in a jar for a day or two may do the job, just guessing. I might try that one of these days myself. Next the way you remove the lenses will potentially damage the frames and possibly the lens. Use a ribbon and insert it at the corners where the metal frame ends and then pull the ribbon to stretch the nylon (and lens) out of the frames. Use the same process to put the lenses back in. If your able to strip the lenses with some kind of acidic substance then you won’t need to polish the lenses as they already are good to go. Just be careful what you use because that will be near your eyes. And make sure to wash it thoroughly with liquid dish soap like dawn to get it super clean. 👍🏾

Seeing how i cant get a eye doctor appointment till January, this is worth a try. Thanks for posting.

I knew an optician who fell into a lens grinder and made a spectacle of himself..

Just use glass etching paste on the plastic lenses. It takes the costing right off without damaging the lenses, removing lens material or making it hazy. Paste, rub, rinse.

“You see how the one I polished is now cloudy? Well, try to ignore that because I have no idea how to polish plastic back to clear. Yes, I've wasted both of our time.”

I tried this exactly, step by step with your video, now I can’t see out of my glasses!!!!!!!!!

I waited seven years to get new glasses. Just got the new ones yesterday and what a difference! My old lenses were very similar in the condition that they were in.

Unlike most of the bedroom scientists who are talking about changing Rx and all that blurb... I actually had no choice but to try this. It works like a charm. It works PERFECTLY. I could see nothing out of my lens and would have had to have waited days before I could get new lenses. Tried this and now I don’t have to change glasses anymore. Especially since I only had them for a year (they don’t make them like they used to). Anyone who says using sand paper that fine by hand will file ur lenses down that much to change ur Rx must b crazy. A buffing machine rotates at thousands or Rpms... by hand the most you will do is inflict some scratches unless u sit and sand for hours and hours... instead of talking shit how about we think a little before we type sometimes. Good work and thanks for the tip. You save my life wit this one!

Thanks youtube, we cannot see dislikes, therefore have no idea if this method is effective.

Thanks man. I cant see the scratches. Also, I cant see anything after rubbing it with sandpaper. You the best! Best solution. How to get rid of the glasses

Nobody : This guy : How to convert glossy glass to matte finished glasses

I first removed as much of the coatings on my plastic lenses with Amour Etch. That worked a some, but there was still a scratched, peeling coating on the inner side of the lenses that it couldn't remove. I used 1500 Grit Silicon Carbide Waterproof Sandpaper (what I had) to sand off the coating on the inner surface of the lenses. It says "Paint, Varnish, & Clear Coats. Use dry or wet for Automotive Finishing." That took just a few minutes - don't rub too hard, and use water as a lubricant for the sandpaper. That left my lenses cloudy, like in the video. Then I used "MAAS - Metal Polishing Creme" to remove the small cloudy scratches and bring the lenses to a crystal clearity. I used a micro-fiber cloth to polish the lenses. It worked great! I saw a video that recommended Brasso to get rid of the small scratches. I suspect any good metal "finishing" polish would work. YMMV

This tutorial is awesome. Thanks for the info!!!

I used McGuires ultra fine polishing compound for a divot right in front of my pupil. Of course the coating is half gone. Used Mcguires on cheap sunglasses too, just to bring back a little life to them. Also my glasses were crooked all the time (uneven ears). I finally did something about it. Took the glasses apart. Put a coffee cup with water in the microwave for 3 mins and placed one arm in it for 1 to 1 1/2 mins. Then with cold water running in the sink I shaped the arms to adjust the fit. Used the cold water right away to set them. Glasses fit perfect now. It does discolor them somewhat, but you can polish that out a little too. Funny how seeing yourself on Zoom will motivate you.

Headlight clarifying compound is perfect for plastic. It will gloss up plastic better than anything else I’ve found.

Yes and if the scratches are really deep you could consider using an angle grinder with carborundum blade normally used for cutting Steel

Bro: hey How do you remove a big scratch..? me: Just make millions of small scratches, so you wouldn't see the Big Scratch.. . bro: Scratches are gone... , Thanks me: So is your Vision...🤪

Thanks for the post sir! I tried it and it does work, but may take hours to get a good result. The polishing with the auto wax/polish is the most time consuming. It may alter your prescription a little. “Gently does it” plus a good deal of patience is recommended. Do your spare glasses first!

My glasses aren’t helping me now so I have nothing to loose. I’m typing by memory and have the words larger than anyone would ever believe possible soI’m willing to try. I searched for help and you’ve offered yours so regardless, I thank you. 👍 If it works, I’ll post the results. Again, thank you!

I had this done professionally done by an optometrist & it partially worked but when the coating was removed, it showed the thicknes of the lenses much more!

This video really helped....on my other lens I just uaed Meguiars compound...it took of the coating and the,scratches...i do have a brand,new,pair but if you work on cars or do other stuff it is awesome to have 2 pairs now...there like new...

Hey...thanks,so much...i had a pair...i paled 400.00 that was after my great insurance...i used meguires ultimate compound...the lens is crystal clear...thanks

Nice one Subscribed. Please keep it comin...

I’m a bit confused, you have glasses with one lens that looks scratched up, but you pull off and work on the one that looks perfectly fine, Did I miss something?

Thank you!!! I NEED this since I have been out of work so no new glasses. Total lifesaver!

The sandpaper is changing the shape of your lenses which is changing your prescription

A Dremel tool with buffing wheel would make this go smoother and faster. Instead of rubbing away with your fingers. But don't use high-speed Dremel on anything plastic cuz it will melt it right now. Use your higher speeds for glass eyeware.

As an optician I disapprove. If you want a spare go to Walmart and get a 38$ pair of sv glasses. Also some of the rx is being removed when you sand. Ohh one more thing. If you have a semi-rimless pair of glasses don’t push the lens out. In some frames there is a plastic strip holding the lens. If that were to come off the lens would keep falling.

Car polish - wonderful stuff --- specs are like new --- TX for that Tip !!!

I have a group of scratches at the top of my lens. I used a buffer that came with my nail file, and put some clear nail polish over it (for science). It looked decent until it dried LOL. Going to try and find some type of clear coat to cover the little buff mark now. Good luck!

Hi. Great video, but that is "wet and dry" paper not "sand paper". It is used with water and acts as a polishing tool. It can be dampened and then you just add a little more water over time - 1200 grit sandpaper would scratch it even though it helps smooth out timber.

Nice video: what is the lens made from? polycarbonate, or other? I know that some auto-polishing compounds are petroleum base - so I want to be careful with the application. Thanks

One thing for sure I learn, never use sandpaper on glasses, no scratches, but items behind look blurry.

Hello, I used the sandpaper and then paste with sodium nicarbonate, I killed the hours by polishing and it did not work. Would the paste that the watchmakers use to clean the lenses of the clocks work?

Yea bc you sand the rest of the surface down even to the depth of the scratch...and in the process screw your focus up and cloud up the lens...might as well take rubbing compound and compound the haze off since you can’t see out of it at night now anyway.

good job my friend i dont i understand what you say but i follow your hands 100% work thanks alot i use 1200 and 2000 with car creme

Your glasses are coated. With a hard coating. When that is damaged, you indeed can remove the coating and polish it, but you end up with a scratch-sensitive surface, which won't last very long unscratched.

I did mine first with blue magic car head light polish. Then tooth paste. Then Maguire fine liquid car polish. And it's al ot better than it was with that crappy anti glare film. Thanks for the tip.

Nice Informative Video. Thank You Sir. God Bless You Sir. Love from India👉😊

Your lens still looks cloudy to me. Doesn't look like you achieved anything near clarity.

Thanks for this video

used compound on my glasses without sanding and oh boy it made a difference, was thinking on using sand paper to remove the deep scratches so i’ll give my results. also as a paint correction/headlight lens restoration guy let me tell you. if there’s no deep scratches, use compound and a mircofiber towel medium pressure and circular motion to clear those tiny imperfections off.

You are so brilliant thank you for sharing this video 🇺🇸👍💖😎🖐️

Coatings scratch don't get coating unless you take perfect care of glasses.

great job .. thank you 👍

Great job

My glasses were badly scratched and the coating was coming off in places. Costco wanted $400 for two pair and it's the same prescription (I don't need new glasses, just unscratched/uncoated ones). Luckily, I found an identical pair I had lost and rarely worn, so I felt safe to try to clean these lenses up. First, I soaked the lenses in Wink Rust Remover. It's a very weak hydrogen fluoride solution. Some videos recommend Armor Etch. Wink took about two hours to remove the anti-glare coating but it worked. Then I used auto scratch removing compound and an old tee shirt--about 10 minutes per lens. (Tried toothpaste, but it had little effect.) The lenses are not perfect, but much, much better. And now I have a decent pair of backup glasses. I could probably get the rest of the scratches out with more time, but I don't want to change the prescription and the remaining scratches are not really in my field of vision. I believe the polishing alone would have removed the remaining anti-glare coating--FWIW.

Unless the lenses & coatings are made by a cheap/very budget quality manufacturer, lenses usually have the AR coating on BOTH the front and backside of the lens and not just the front side. Most people don't realize this. Degradation of the AR coating to where it's actually noticeable by the eyeglass wearer (even if it's extremely minimal/almost undetectable) is mainly always on the front side of the lens. This is due to the front side being more prone to microscopic scratching on it's surface, as well as thermal-expansion/contraction of the lens over time by various means, ie. water/air temp etc. Since the outer surface of the lens is convex, and the inner surface is concave, thermal expansion is not proportional to the lens surface. The outer convex surface is exponentially more prone to microscopic cracking of the AR coating than the inner surface, and thus degradation over time leading to the perceived vision problems through the lens. Repeated rounds of pouring boiling water on the lens, along with scraping off the AR coating with a hard/razor-flat plastic object can take most AR coatings off. This should NEVER be done with the lens still in the frame, as the thermal expansion of the lens can lead to cracking it if it's constricted within the frame. After this, several rounds of polishing out any scratches of the lens is needed. Turtle wax 'safe for clear-coat' scratch remover/fine metal polish/microfiber cloths, all in very small circular motions. The thermal-shock method (boiling water) is only recommended for Polycarbonate Plastic lenses. Other plastic material lenses may be cracked/shattered by thermal-shock. The AR coating on glass lenses can be removed pretty easy with 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol and scraping, then polishing with the above-mentioned polishes, and no thermal expansion is needed or recommended for glass lenses. Extreme thermal expansion can shatter glass upon first contact.

I tried this method . It took less than 2 minutes ................... to totally ruin my lenses. Thanks pal!

Especially on side mirrors. It may bs cheaper to replace them

Thanks bro

Are the treatments just for pure glass lenses? Or are they for other type lenses also, or they harmful for them?

Seems like a guaranteed way to mess up the lenses totally.

Thanks

Thank you

After removing the coating, how would it affect the lence.

Gonna give this a try with some old cheap sunglasses that I really love but can't wear anymore because they are too badly scratched up!

No scratches but you will get a blurry glasses. Good job.

I should have read the comments before trying this 😐 2020.... and still falling for these “hacks”

Used to do Corian and would finish with an abralon 5000 for a super high shine wonder if that would be good for your finishing step after the trizact pads

Wet sanding, using water with a few drops of dish detergent (i.e. Dawn) applied with a spray bottle, with the 3000 grit Trizact would have given you a better result, followed by wet sanding with 5000 grit Trizact, then a synthetic wax or clear coating designed for refinishing headlamps. In short, using one of the 3M headlight refinishing kits would have given you a superior result for a cost of about $6 to $12, depending on the kit you bought. Others make similar products in the same price range which are just as effective. The 3M kits are the least expensive way to get Trizact disks or sheets in the sizes you need, as well as a sufficient amount of the final synthetic wax or clear coat. You would have enough left over to do a set of headlights. Trizact disks can be washed out and are reusable for quite a while. I never throw them away until they start coming to pieces.

Hey man, you’re intentions aren’t bad, it’s a shame there’s so many trolls here. You made a nice video-good job : )

Warning don't use the sand paper

DON’T DO THIS !!

Polishes suck because everytime you whip out the cleaner bye-bye polish. What you need to try out is jewelers rouge with a beffing wheel preferably mounted in a drill press. That might work, but using polish over a still hazey lense is a failure.

¡Thankyou very much !. Very good, usefull an Wells done your video. Health for you an tours !. Greeting from Córdoba, Argentina

something tells me rubbing your eye glasses with sand paper isn't the move

Brilliant

I performed the process described in the video, with some modifications, on one deeply scratched lens of an 18-month old pair of high-quality polycabonate progressive lenses (distinct from "transition lens") and achieved arguably good, but not great results. I started with the 1200 grit/3000 grit wet sanding as described but then hand polished the lens, in succession, with Meguiar's Magic Compound, Turtle Wax Rubbing then Polishing Compound (common automotive products). Instead of using a polish, I then cleaned the lens with store-bought isopropyl alcohol to remove any residue perhaps left over by the finishing compounds. I spent about 90-minutes working on the one lens. In conclusion, the deep scratches were greatly reduced though not eliminated and smaller scratches remained. The overall visual clarity of the lens was restored similar to the non-altered lens though the optical quality was somewhat degraded, particularly noticeable along the circumferential edge. The internal anti-glare treatment to the lens was not compromised. I intend to retain the eyeglasses as a backup pair and for wear during scratch-prone activities such yard work, house repair and car maintenance.

After sanding use clear coat or Scratch remover

There is jet windshield cleaner that's stepped really fine, I found it sales fixing damage in spas!

Does it affect the curvature of the lens and possibly the vision?

I had a cloth polishing wheel for my die grinder from years ago. I put that wheel on it and these glasses look like new. On the final polish I had the lenses in the glasses and used the side of the wheel to make sure there were no blurry spots. 1. Wet sand with 1500 wet/dry paper 2. Wet sand with 3000 wet dry sand paper 3. Use cloth polishing wheel and green block of polishing compound. That will get the blur out of the lenses.

I have some old oakley military sunglasses that the tint has cracked and peeled I'm gonna try this have you tried to retint any glasses just curious

Will the glasses work if you grind the glass? Also too me it looked like the lense needed way more polishing, as it looked shiny but still not fully Transparent

you destroyed that actually

Try Armour Etch glass etching compound to remove the failed coating. It works well in a pinch to tide you over till you can get your next pair. Only for plastic lens's.

Or use copper polish together with a drill with round piece of wood and a wad of polishing cloth with elastic. Not too high speed. also applicable to watches. Also you can use a rubber suction cup with a tab on the back that you can clamp in the drill , and a piece of cloth . Not on real glass .

I just tried the toothpaste method on my expensive sunglasses.lens are clear like new.i even put alittle mothers car polish for proection.i use it to protect from scratches on windshield. Ty so much.😀😀😀😀😀😀

The easier way to remove the haze after the sandpaper would to just go abd buy glass/plastic polish. Easily remove the haze without using all those methods (3000 sand paper, toothpaste and wax)

The process may have taken the scratches out but the haze on the lens wouldn't come off with toothpaste or polishing compound. Ruined my lens!

Spend 40 bucks for a dremel tool and buffing wheel bits. My lenses are alone are 600 dollars of the 800 price tag. ( no eye coverage ) For me, it was worth experimenting with a similar technique. Truth be told, it works ok. You will never achieve new lenses clarity, but much improved from the original condition prior to my decision to polish. Polycarbonate lenses are soft. Even with the coatings they become noticeably cloudy over time from tiny scratches. One tip, please be aware. The dremel has multiple speeds. I advise low rpm’s and a wet environment to keep lense cool while buffing. If you are not careful to switch lenses throughout process, you will “ burn/melt “ the lense in the slightest. Any temp increases above room temperature isn’t good. I would avoid sandpaper personally, but you can achieve the same result with a lot of careful work and grits. 2000 1st to 4000 grit is the max I would suggest. Then buff with a wax.

Thank you, what a difference on my glasses it works good!! :》

Will this work for polycarbonate lenses?

I 've done this but i use 2000 and then 3000 and polish with mothers polish glasses are like new .

With regards, indigo, dry one, power is the better substitute of the emry paper & water. You may please use the same & see the result yourself. Thanks.

How long or how many times did u polish. I followed your directions but haze won't come out

A Dremel works wonders for the polishing steps as long as you use progressive polishing compounds

Its times like this that bring me down knowing i cant see and im.basically useless without my glasses.

I just spent the past four and a half hours going from 7000 grit to $15,000 grit and then polished with turtle Wax light to medium cleaner three times per lens per side took me four and a half hours but I fixed my glasses pretty much good is new might be the slightest but difference but they're Way Way beyond better than they were

Maybe OK for emergency repair or if you truly cannot buy new ones, you will never get the optical quality you should have, also some concerns of altering the Rx. There are discount places to buy glasses and they can even be purchased online. Personally I would only do this on my car headlights.

lenses are build with a curvature to adjust your sight. needless to say that you will adjust the lenses negatively by sanding them down.

"I would use this method on an old pair of glasses not your new ones or ones that you rely on" ..... a disclaimer... at the END of the video. Crap!