How can I remove the anti-reflective coating from my glasses?

[Raskolnikov]

Although I take pretty good care of my glasses (and use a cleaning cloth 90% of the time), the crummy anti-reflective coating has become very scratched, giving me blurry vision.

Is there a way/chemical to strip off the coating, leaving me with (more or less) scratch/blur free lenses? The lenses are plastic, by the way.

Thanks for your help!

[ratbag66]

I agree with andy - go and see what your optician has to say as there could be a fault with the coating.  Most anti-reflection coatings these days are combined with a hard coating to prevent scratches becoming a problem. 

[Raskolnikov]

Thanks folks. It's off to Boots for me.

[PaulB]

Don't let them palm you off either - if they're relatively new then the AR Coating is Faulty.

[denisegordon]

Raskolnikov - my glasses from Boots did the same thing, the first time they got replaced because they were under guarantee, but the guarantee on the replaced lense does not start again.  What I mean is if the glasses are guaranteed for 2 years, and the new lense goes faulty or the other lense after 2 years they won't fix the faulty lense.  I'm now going to get new glasses somewhere else.

[Raskolnikov]

Hmm. I think I'm going to avoid AR coatings in future. I had a pair with AR from SpecSavers before these ones from Boots. They only lasted a couple of years, too. Before that I had a pair without AR which lasted 10 years.

[alan108]

You are right to question this. From what I currently know, it really is possible to remove the old coating. Pearle Vision, where I got my AR glasses, has told me that they will remove the coating for $20... I do not agree with the other messages that indicate you might have a defective product or that replacement is necessary. Too, I would not experiment.... 

[marymac64]

Just a heads up: My optometrist just told me that anti-reflective coating is specifically engineered to last for two years (hence, the two-year guarantees you all have heard about). After that, it begins to bubble up, creating splotchy fields of blurriness for the wearer and resulting in daily eye strain headaches. (I thought I had some freaky eye condition!) My next pair will NOT have anti-reflective coating as I don't think it is worth the money or the hassle. It may help some people who really need it, but for the everyday eyeglass wearer, it is just an extra $100 every two years.

[elan23]

OK, lots of people saying lots of stuff, most of it too complicated or just plain wrong.

KISS... Use plain old DRAINO crystals. Using rubber gloves AND lots of caution, pour a lot of crystals (be reasonable) in a small glass. Add some water. Not too much, you want a strong solution. Stir until dissolved. Current version has aluminum chips in it to protect pipes, hence the next step. Pour solution into a second glass and gently put the lens in the solution. Walk away for an hour or so.

Come back, rinse and dry and voila! No more AR coating.