How To Remove Scratches From Glass Lenses - Our Quick and Simple Process

There’s no way to completely remove the scratch without professional help (and entirely replacing the lens), you can make the appearance less visible. However, we don’t think this is a good idea for lenses with large scratches - it’ll be a lot of work for what may not improve the scratch, and

Getting a scratch on your favourite glasses can be very frustrating. Whether you knocked them off the table, or a beloved pet has gotten a little too close with their claws, the whole thing can be rather sigh-inducing. With glasses care, it’s all about prevention - read our guide on how to clean your glasses with tips on how to keep your specs in optimum shape. However, we all know that accidents happen, and even the best intentions don’t prevent us from accidentally dropping them on the hard kitchen floor. The problem with scratches on lenses is that permanent damage has been caused. So you’ll be faced with a decision - take a risk and treat it yourself, or go for a new pair of glasses.

The good news is that small scratches can be treated at home. Whilst there may end up causing more damage. In this case, you may have to cut your losses and opt for a new pair of specs.

All you need are some simple things that you can easily find around the home, and a little patience. It should be noted that doing this yourself does carry some risk, so we only recommend going into this if you’re feeling confident, have a steady hand, and definitely aren’t able to get it done professionally. The latter is the primary option we endorse. But, if you’re going to take things into your own hands, here’s what you can do:

What You Will Need

These are all things that are relatively inexpensive and can be easily sourced from supermarkets, discount stores, and the back of your cupboards. For fixing scratches on your glasses, all you need is:

• A couple of soft microfibre cloths
• Water
• Baking soda
• Mixing bowls
• Optional: lens cleaner

Step 1 - Clean with A Microfibre Cloth and/or Lense Cleaning Solution

First things first, you’ll want to ensure that the lenses of your glasses are clean. You can do this with a microfibre cloth, or specialist lens cleaning solution. Make sure whatever you use is suitable to use on glasses - you don’t want to accidentally cause more damage during the process. At this stage, and throughout the whole process, you’ll want to use a light pressure on your lenses and glasses. A gentle circular motion will get the lenses nice and clean, and ready for the next step.

Step 2 - Create a Paste

We’re going to reduce how visible the scratch looks through creating a paste using water and baking soda. In this case, you’ll want to use a very, very small amount of baking soda. Too much can end up warping your glasses, and may erode any lens treatments you have. This is not ideal!

In a mixing bowl, add water and small amounts of baking soda until you have made a paste. We recommend doing this gradually, until the paste is quite thick. You don’t want it to be too thin, otherwise it might spread on the rest of the lens and accidentally cause damage. Again, not ideal!

Step 3 - Apply Paste to Lens

Take a tiny amount of the paste, and apply it to where the scratch is. Using another microfibre cloth, gently rub the scratch (and only the scratch!) Use a light touch, and slow circular motions - like when we were cleaning the lenses. 

What we’re actually doing here is removing part of the lens, which is reducing the visibility of the scratch. This is why we’ve been saying that it’s pretty risky!

Step 4 - Rinse off the Paste

You’ll want to get the paste off before risking any more damage. Ensure that it doesn’t get anywhere else on the lenses when you’re rinsing them, as you don’t want to accidentally get the paste anywhere else. You can rinse using lukewarm water from the tap. There’s no need for rubbing during this step - just a gentle rinse until all the paste is off.

Step 5 - Dry with Microfibre Cloth

Give your glasses a thorough dry with the original microfibre cloth, and then give your scratched lens a close look. Is the scratch looking better? You may want to repeat the process again if you don’t see much difference, but take a lot of care when doing so.

Can You Remove Scratches Using Toothpaste?

It is not recommended to use toothpaste to remove scratches from glasses, or any other abrasive chemical. The problem is that the ingredients, as well as the textures, in toothpaste can cause even more damage to the lens. Not only can it remove any specialist tints you have applied, but it can result in even more scratches. You might also find that the lenses become blurry and smudged, and you can’t see through them properly. The rule of thumb with removing scratches from glasses is gently does it - from the tools you use, to how you apply them.