For years, wearers of eyeglasses and sunglasses have sworn by using a paste made with baking soda to fix their scratched lenses. This method does not require vigorous rubbing, and it is actually recommended that this be done gently.
Baking Soda: A Gentle Scratch Remover
Believe it or not, baking soda (with water) is a very effective way to remove scratches. It acts pretty much like your very own DIY glass polish.
Step-by-step guide:
Combine one spoonful of baking soda with half a spoon of water. This will create a thick paste.
Place the paste on your lenses, and rub it with either some soft cloth or a cotton ball. Make sure you rub in a circular motion. You should do this for up to 20 seconds.
Gently rinse the glasses under cold water.
Dry the water off with a soft cotton cloth.
Repeat if you still see the scratch there.
Other DIY Scratch Removal Methods
While baking soda is a popular and gentle option, there are a few other DIY methods you can try:
Metal polish: You can use metal polish (and alcohol) to clean your lenses, especially if they’re blue light glasses.
Toothpaste: Scratches on your glasses can get worse if you rub toothpaste on them, as the abrasive particles can further damage the lens coatings.
Car cleaning wax: Applying wax to your glasses’ scratches is unlikely to do anything besides hinder your vision, as the wax is more opaque than the lens material.
Glass etching cream: Using a glass etching product can remove the coating from your scratched lens, but this will also forfeit any advantages the coating may have provided, such as blue light shielding.