Armour Etch wins hands down! If you’re like me and decided to go ahead and have anti-reflective coating put on your eyeglasses at an extra charge (of course) then you probably know what Armour Etch is. If you don’t, keep reading because you’ll want to know!
Most people who have AR coating will eventually end up wondering whether they’re eyesight is failing, they’re developing cataracts, or worse yet, going blind! I was starting to live life in a foggy haze when I realized that the fog was on my glasses! I took them back to where I bought them and lo and behold, I was a couple of weeks past the warranty! “Sorry we can’t do anything about them now that you’re no longer under warranty.” the girl behind the counter told me.
As I was going out the door, one girl asked me, “How are you cleaning your glasses?”
“With soap and water,” I replied.
“Oh you shouldn’t have used soap, that’s the problem.” she scolded me.
“You mean to tell me, I can’t use mild handsoap to clean my glasses?!”
“No, but you can purchase a cleaning kit that we have if you like,” she wanted to know.
Like I needed something to clean the fog! She told me that maybe one of their competitors could have the AR coating taken off for me for around $25-$30. (Not true, I went to several places and they had no solution for me either, except to purchase a new pair!) I came home and started researching on the internet to see if anyone else was having the same problem. What I found out surprised me! It seems most people who have AR coating have the same problem that I did, (or will have sooner or later) and later is the keyword! Like after your warranty is up!
I get the feeling that the eyeglass companies are offering this wonderful product (according to their description of how much better you will be able to see and not be bothered with glare from the sun or headlights from the cars at night, and blah, blah, blah…), when in reality they know that a year later that coating is going to start peeling off and your only option is to buy a new pair! How convenient for them! Now instead of people buying new eyeglasses every two to four years, people will have to get new ones every year or two! Does anyone smell a rat?!
People had all types of solutions on the internet and I tried a lot of them, such as toothpaste, hairspray, furniture polish, etc. I mean afterall, what have you got to lose when you can no longer see through your glasses!? Nothing worked until I read about Armour Etch, everyone kept saying how they were amazed by the results and were so thankful for the hint.
A bottle runs about $10 at any arts & crafts store. I put a nice coat on both sides of my glasses* with a Q-Tip and let them sit for 5 minutes and then rinsed them off with, yes, mild soap and water! Amazing! I had a brand new pair of eyeglasses! It’s been about a week and I’m still amazed at how wonderful they are and how well I can see once again!
*Now a very important point I need to make is, Armour Etch works only on plastic lenses, if you have real glass lenses, do not use Armour Etch! It will ruin your eyeglasses! For some reason it doesn’t seem to work well with older lenses either. Why that is, I don’t know….perhaps the lenses were made differently, but a friend tried them on a really old pair to see if he could get rid of the scratches, but it didn’t take. Actually it was worse. Maybe Armour Etch only works to take off the AR coating, and if that’s what you’re looking for, then it works like a charm!
Maya Muses: Sometimes it’s not so bad seeing Life through hazy lenses which distorts our so-called reality, but personally, I’d rather pick and choose those times!
Photo Credits: Flickr
5 responses so far ↓
1 Chad // Nov 13, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Do you notice any difference with the AR coating removed? ie, more glare or harder to see at night while driving, etc?
2 Lynn // Nov 14, 2008 at 5:51 am
Hi Chad, ….just the opposite actually. When I had the AR coating I found that there was more of a rainbow effect that bothered me when I drove at night.
Without the coating I find that the only time I’m aware of a reflective glare is when I have a bright light directly in front of me, like when I’m using my computer. The moment I move a few inches away or lower the lampshade (that sits right above the computer) the glare is gone.
3 Marty // Nov 18, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Hi Lynn, yours is one of the few anti-anti-reflective coating opinions I’ve seen on the web. I just bought a new pair of glasses without AR and I’ve been kicking myself since, but thanks to you, maybe in a year or two I’ll be able to look back without regrets. I do have a strong prescription, so my lenses do reflect a lot, but if that’s the worst thing, I guess I can live with that. Thanks!
4 Lynn // Nov 19, 2008 at 5:36 am
Marty, I think you will be happy! Most people who have it end up with clouded glasses once the AR starts peeling away and it gets increasingly hard to see and your stuck with buying new glasses! (I was told steam in the bathroom when you take a shower is one cause of the AR to peel.) So, thank goodness for Armour Etch!
I recently bought two more pairs of glasses one for reading and one for the computer and I didn’t put AR on either pair! The computer glasses reflect a little, but only because I have a bright light above the computer. Does yours reflect all the time, or only when there’s a bright light?
5 Chad // Nov 20, 2008 at 6:47 pm
After Armour Etch my glasses are now clear as a bell… amazing!
Don’t know if I will miss the AR coating or not but at least the scratches are gone!
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