Toothpaste with hydrated silica might polish it off with enough elbow grease. Should be gentle enough to not fuck with the polycarbonate lens itself. I’ve done it with success but the toothpaste I used was an institutional brand and not really fit for putting in one’s mouth.
Commercial toothpaste with hydrated silica would be marketed as “microbeads” or some such.
A paste of baking soda and water on cotton balls worked well for me, albeit tedious.
Hi Costco glasses guy, I see you.
You fix it pretty easily by just getting the lenses entirely replaced. If you have vision insurance, you can do it entirely for free
Does someone willing to strip off the coating of their glasses sound to you like someone who has vision that allows for more than one pair of glasses a year?
How often do you replace your glasses? (Just curious, since you mentioned replacing yearly).
My last pair started peeling at 5 years, and I needed a new script by that point anyway.
I’ve had good results removing the coating with armor etch, but be warned that the uncoated plastic lens are now more prone to scratches. I was able to extend the life of my glasses about 6 months before I got annoyed with the microscratches building up, was able to save up for a new pair.
In the future, I highly recommend using Kimwipes to clean off your lenses day-to-day. They’re little papers designed to wipe off lab equipment without leaving any scratches or residue, and you don’t need to spray them with any cleaner either. Just a dry wipe until the lenses are clean. If I’m careful about how I use them, a wipe can be reused 2-3 more times before disposal.
Since I started using them, I’ve never had problems with the antiglare coating coming off.
I have worked in optical, that coating is the anti-reflective coating that is coming off. You cannot take that coating off. It is baked on. Harsh chemicals will destroy the plastic lenses. It just degrades and comes off after a while, generally if it is less than 2 years they should be under warranty.
The really annoying thing is that these coatings used to be optional paid extras, and when I got some new lenses for the first time in almost a decade they quickly became blotchy and awful so I went back to get some more but this time with zero coatings.
Specsavers told me that’s wasn’t possible, that ALL lenses have these coatings now, it’s not even optional.
Glasses lenses used to last years and years, now they’re blotchy crap after only 3 or 4 years. Bloody ghets know what they’re doing. And ripping us off while they’re at it with their high prices £££
Thankfully it is glass, I may just have to take this to an optometrist and see if they can do it for me
Just curious what country are you in? If you’re in the USA why glass? I’m in the US and default material is plastic.
I don’t think that’s the default material, I’ve been moving around the US since 95’ getting glasses in each state once a year when I was still on my parents insurance and every time I just get normal glass.
That might just be your provider or something
Reading glasses or regular?
Regular
Ah, that sucks, I’d suggest to get some of the shelve as an emergency solution, but I know some countries don’t sell negative diopter lenses without a prescription. The issue is that polishing out those scratches even if it’s just the coating can change the lenses diopter value even by a tiny amount. This can lead to distortions or blurriness even if it looks perfectly smooth. Ask around some opticians, maybe they have a cheaper plastic replacement lenses or they can polish them out professionally for a fee. I know this sucks but I wouldn’t mess around with this on my own, it can damage your eyes in the long run.
Half of the picture is blurry, put them back on!
If the lenses are plastic acetone will fuck them up.
Alcohol would, too. Further, avoid mineral spirits and petroleum based solvents entirely.
Alcohol has never affected my plastic lenses.
There are some plastics it affects, I’ve just never seen it affect glasses. Notably, the eyeglass cleaner kits at eyeglass shops are alcohol based.
Alcohol will affect acrylic/plexiglass, but its not necessarily a fast reaction. I don’t know what specific plastic glasses lenses are made of. Also, the UV coating might protect them from the alcohol.
Pulling this straight out of my ass but I think it’s likely to be polycarbonate
I worked in optical it’s polycarbonate. Can be a plastic called cr39 or it could be a high index lens if they have a very high prescription generally alcohol won’t hurt it. If the frame is plastic the alcohol could potentially fog the plastic.
Nah they’re glass, besides, I tested acetone on a small spot and it did nothing to remove the coating
Use a sandpaper
Soooo…the TP at my work?
Look at me, I have free toilet paper at work.
I mean, it might legit be more comfortable to wipe with a pinecone or stinging nettle. So take that humble brag as you will, but sometimes the grass isn’t cushier on the other cheek.
You degenerate 3rd world people still using paper to smear poop all over yourself. We here in modern world have water that washes away our poop.
Yeah, used to love bidets, then I sat down drunk and accidentally nudged it full blast full cold. The hemorrhoids I got the next day were brutal. So now I use tp cause the worst that can happen while drunk is I need to wash my hand a bit more thoroughly than usual…
I recently asked about having my coating re-applied, and the folks at the eye place had a warranty system, where if it came off inside of two years, they’d strip and re-coat the lenses. Might call them to find out if you’re covered, or of they can tell you the stripping method.
Next time ask your lenses without. Mines are the same, I have a new prescription & just told the shop “no”. No anti-blue, no ant-reflection, no nothing, just the hardest material available.
Unfortunately that wasn’t an option at Walmart the last time I got glasses. I wanted to go to my old eye doctor instead of Walmart, but that was during the COVID lockdown shit and I would have had to wait like 3 months.
Sigh, this coating shit sucks ☹️
Antiglare coating is a must for me. There’s a reason it’s used on lenses in cameras; it enhances contrast, and for purely aesthetic reasons, makes it easier for others to see your eyes, making you look better.
High index plastic is also great IMO, it significantly reduces the thickness and weight of the lenses. Also aesthetically, it reduces the distortion of the sides of your face when someone’s looking at you. It is not the hardest material available, and I believe the higher the index, the less hard they are. My lenses are typically completely scratch free for a year or two, getting only minor scratches after that.
I’ve never had an issue with coatings. I clean my glasses with hot water and Kimwipes (laboratory lint free wipes). I don’t use any lens cleaners or any other cleaning products. I never dry wipe my lenses.
I buy my glasses cheap off the internet and wear em till they are broken. They last me years and I’ve never had any coatings come off like this.
I am now super curious if it’s something OP did, or if it’s a processing error (maybe technician put the coatings on in the wrong order) or what.
Not really related to the post but how was the process of getting them off the internet? The cheapest price I can get would run me around 200USD for the whole deal: eye exam, new lenses and the specific frames I want. Hell if I can save money though I’m willing to try online
Pretty easy honestly. Pick the frames you like, enter in your prescription, choose lens options like transitions/anti glare then pay and you get em in a couple days to a couple weeks depending.
Just like anything else shop around - some of the “cheap” online places still charge a ridiculous amount.
Name brand doesn’t mean much either - for example - generic transition lens coating works just as well as the name brand stuff for most applications for a fraction of the price.
I also got them online, Zenni, think I got away with $70 or so
I find glasses online are about half the price of a local place. $500+ locally, about $250 online for the same thing. Progressives drive most of the cost.
If you can get am exam locally for a good price, you’re good to go. Just make sure they include the PD - Pupillary Distance, they sometimes don’t, though it’s part of your prescription and they’re required to supply it.
Hot water and excessive heat from cooking can crack the coating.
I’m not taking about boiling, just hot out of the tap. It helps gently heat the lenses so they dry faster after being wiped.
I haven’t read the manual but I don’t think you’re supposed to cook your glasses.
Anti-blue coating is stupid, but anti-reflection isn’t. Makes everything easier to read. I think it’s probably the anti-blue coating that ruins lenses.
Have you tried photochromatic lenses? It could be what you’re looking for.
Yes, a catastrophy. I never had lenses degrade so fast, and we’re talking expensive Zeiss stuff with medical coverage.
That was my first “no” here, never again.
https://opticalresourcedotcom.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/poly-safe-ar-stripper-8oz.pdf
It looks like they all use HF or ABF. Super dangerous if it gets on your skin or in your lungs.
https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/hydrofluoricacid/basics/facts.asp
Some tire and wheel cleaners are HF based, I’d try that.
Oh well good thing it’s not breaking off into a powdery substance near my nose and mouth
He’s taking about the strippers not the AR coating itself.
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The problem is with the prescription lenses, genius…
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You sure?
