Polycarbonate Lens Repair

The Benefits of Polycarbonate Lenses

Polycarbonate lenses are less likely than glass or plastic lenses to break. While they're not impenetrable, when they do "shatter" they do so in a way that prevents small pieces of the material from finding its way into your eyes.

Polycarbonate lenses are recommended for sports, and when eyeglasses are prescribed for children under 18 years of age, polycarbonate lenses are required in some states. That's not too much of a hassle, however, since they're lighter in weight than plastic and glass lenses, and don't usually cost much more.

Another benefit? 100 percent UV protection.

How They Break

Polycarbonate lenses break in a way that is least likely to spray shards into your eyes on impact. Rather than shattering, they simply crack in a spiderweb-like pattern. There are very few loose pieces that fall out of the lenses themselves.

Because of this breakage pattern, they're the safest option for children who roughhouse or simply take physical education classes. They're least likely to break if little feet step on them because the child forgot where he or she dropped them.

As for sports, imagine you're bicycling and a rock flies up toward your glasses. While the rock may not just bounce back off, leaving your lenses unharmed, in most cases it won't penetrate your lenses and hit you. Nor will it cause sharp lens fragments to cut your skin or damage your eyes.

But, Scratches…

Scratches are a different story. Polycarbonate lenses are soft and relatively flexible, which is what keeps them from breaking upon impact. However, they're easy to scratch.

To prevent this problem, you can purchase a scratch resistant coating for your lenses when you order them (assuming you order from an optical shop and have your glasses custom made). A coating will make the lenses significantly less likely to scratch without compromising their impact-resistance or your vision. You need this coating with polycarbonate lenses, so be sure to ask your optician if it's included if they don't ask if you'd like to add it.

Polycarbonate Lens Repair Information

Thrifty Fun has a section on repairing scratched eyeglasses. Solutions include Armour Etch, Pledge, Brasso, and more. Be sure to research any method you find there in more detail and always check to see if there's a warranty on your lenses first. What works for one type of lens may damage another one further, so do your homework. It's probably best to try these do-it-yourself methods as a last resort.

According to Eye Care Biz, you won't be able to use an additional layer of scratch-resistant coating to repair a scratch on a first layer of the coating. The second one will not adhere to the first.

Eye Care Biz also touches on the hard water deposits some people get on their lenses. One tip involves using white vinegar, allowing it to set, and then rinsing thoroughly with water.

Repair Versus Replace

So how do you know if it's worth it to bother with polycarbonate lens repair over just replacing the lenses? The first, most obvious concern is the warranty attached to your lenses. If your optical shop guarantees your lenses up to a certain time after purchasing, it makes the most sense to choose to replace them. You will have plenty of time to repair them later if they scratch. It is not uncommon to see a one-year warranty attached to lenses.

Another thing to consider is that the scratches may be superficial—-only on the coatings you may have added to your lenses when you purchased them. Check with your optician to see if you can remove the coating(s) to find out.

Anti-reflective coatings are notorious for becoming scratched and/or foggy. If you can have the coating redone (especially if there's a warranty on the coating), you'll do much better just to have them repaired.

Some people say that when a lens is scratched, it's scratched, but that's not the case here. In some cases, though, labs will not attempt to remove the anti-reflective coating because they run the risk of stripping off the scratch-resistant coating and ruining the lenses.

In most cases, you'll be better off skipping the polycarbonate lens repair in favor of just having your lenses replaced. You can try the do-it-yourself methods, but be advised that they may not work for everyone and you should only try them when you can no longer tolerate the scratches and you're prepared to purchase a new set of lenses if necessary.