How to remove cloudy haze from eye glasses?

Question

I have some glasses which are a couple of years old which have a strange cloudy haze circling the middle of the glasses.

I had this problem on my previous glasses, so bought some new ones. After about 6 months, the cloudy haze started showing up on my new glasses too.

I've read online/watched youtube videos on different ways to solve this problem, but no one seems to replicate the issue I have. They all talk about removing scratches. These are not scratches, they are a cloud/haze of some sort.

I suspect the cause is dry wiping the glasses on tshirts over and over, so I have thus stopped doing that. Some online suggest it's to do with the anti-glare film they put on the glasses, but i'm unsure if that is the case as these are clouds, not scratches.

I have uploaded a photo. Look towards the centre and you will see a milky ghost like haze near the centre. When you put them in, it's as if they are permantly fogged up in those areas. Really annoying.

Is there a way to remove them or am I just going to have to bite the bullet and buy a new pair (again!)?

EDIT:

I should mention that I now clean my glasses with eye glasses cleaner and either a lens clother or a microbifre cloth. I've just started with the microfibre in hopes that it will improve, but hasn't.

Thanks]1

Answer 1

I think you're going to have to buy new lenses to fix your problem. I have seen this kind of haze before on other people's lenses and I believe it comes from either setting the glasses down with the lenses touching some surface or from rubbing something slightly abrasive or oily against them, such as when drying or cleaning them (e.g. tee shirts). I agree that it's probably the anti-glare coating being rubbed away and therefore it can't be improved over time.

Here is my cleaning regime:

I only clean (scrub) my lenses by rubbing with my fingers under warm or hot water daily after showering, when my hands are very clean with perhaps just a touch of residual soap on them, and then dry them with a linen lint-free towel, which is itself kept clean (not set on a counter). I never set my glasses down on their lenses, but only with the temples open and upside down, so their lenses are vertical. I never rub anything against the lenses except my fingers and my linen towel. If I ever have to clean them in the middle of the day (rare), I would wash my hands thoroughly and clean the lenses with my fingers under running water and then dry them with whatever appears to have the least chance of scratching them (kleenex? shirt? blot them against something?).

My four-year-old polycarbonate lenses are still in pristine, scratch and haze-free condition and that has been the case with each pair of glasses going back many years.

Answer 2

I am optimistic that you can rehabilitate your eyewear to pristine condition.

Despite your hunch that it is not the result of scratches, I am of the opposite opinion.

I think you can remedy your damaged eyeglasses by light polishing.

A technique given by the experts at the glassescrafter.com web site suggests you can do this yourself easily.

Use a cotton or soft wool cloth with a little non-abrasive toothpaste to quickly buff away scratches on eye glasses. Rub the lens gently, moving the cloth in small circles. Continue this motion for around ten seconds. Rinse with cold water and wipe dry.

Try this, inspect your work, and if there's some improvement, repeat. Be patient. There's no rush.

The instructions can be used with varying success using different materials for both glass and plastic lenses. Several different alternatives are given ranging from wax to water repellant. The linked reference has greater depth but the technique is the same.

Good luck. Let us know how it worked.

Answer 3

Fill glass spritz bottle... rubbing alcohol (3 parts). 2 drops dish detergent. top off with water.

Answer 4

Its difficult to know if they are dirty, or if they have a failed coating. I always wash my glasses with a drop of dish soap in cold water, and I use regular paper towels to dry them. I find this works much better than any glasses cleaners, and although many people have told me the paper towels will scratch them, I have not found this to be the case, and I have been washing my glasses this way for years.

It may be worth a try.

Answer 5

Here's a hack for you to try

Nose grease has been used for everything from photography to electronics. You don't have to go very far to get enough to repair your glasses. It's on your nose.

It can be used for a few different things for a few different reasons

The procedure is simple enough.

• Wash your hands, work area, and glasses.
• Use a cotton wool ball to stroke the side of your nose once or twice to gather a tiny amount on the surface of the cotton wool ball.
• Use the cotton ball to polish the cloudy area of one lens of your glasses. Use a small circular motion to "polish" the lens with the cotton ball. The grease will temporarily fill the minute surface scratches

Use a separate "fresh" cotton ball for the other lens.

Good luck.

Answer 6

use special lens cleaner. It's very cheap and will get your work done