How to Repair a Scratch on Eyeglass Lenses With Anti-Reflective Coating

Many pairs of prescription eyeglasses come with an anti-reflective coating that cuts down on glare. Over time, this coating can wear off, or become scratched or damaged with daily use. The degraded coating can impair your ability to see normally while wearing your glasses. One strategy is to forgo the optional coating on subsequent prescription lenses. In the meantime, glasses with scratches in the anti-reflective coating can be repaired except in the most extreme of cases.

Rub the scratched surface of the eyeglass lens with a cloth containing a small amount of carnauba wax in a circular motion. If both the inside and outside of the lens is scratched, do this on both sides.

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Wipe away the excess wax and hold the lenses up to a bright light. The wax should fill in the scratches, making them less visible.

Put on the eyeglasses 1. See if the distortions from the scratches are gone, or at least sharply reduced.

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Remove the glasses and repeat with another layer of wax, if desired.

Remove the coating altogether if the lenses are so badly scratched that the wax fails to adequately remedy the situation. Do this by rubbing acetone onto the lenses until the coating softens and rubs off. Rinse the lenses in running water and dry them well before wearing them again.

Tips

If carnauba wax fixed the problem, be advised that you should repeat the procedure two or three times weekly to maintain the results.