What Are Crazed Lenses?
It's more often than not, not the easiest of tasks to find the perfect pair of glasses that fit all of your personal needs and preferences to suit your style, and help your eyes as much as possible… and when your beloved pair of glasses becomes a victim of wear and tear, it can send you into panic mode, (understandably so, the time involved to find the right pair, and cost of the repairs or replacements can seem daunting.).
A common form of wear and tear is something called ‘crazed lenses’… here’s how you can prevent this from happening, spot that it's occurring, how to fix the issue, and help you have a better understanding of what crazed lenses actually are.
Understanding crazed lenses
Crazing is a web of tiny hairline cracks on the surface of a lens. It can make vision look slightly hazy and it can also make the lenses look scratched or worn even when they are clean. It shows up most often on plastic lenses but it can happen on other materials too.
Causes of crazing
A few things tend to trigger it:
- heat and cold swings like leaving glasses in a hot car
- lots of direct sun over time
- lower quality lens material or coatings
- rough handling like dropping them or putting them face down
- cleaning with abrasive cloths or harsh cleaners
Preventing crazed lenses
You can reduce the chance of crazing with a few simple habits, such as:
- Choose decent lenses
Better materials and coatings usually last longer and are less likely to craze.
- Handle them carefully
Avoid dropping them and avoid placing them lens side down on desks or tables.
- Store them in a case
A case protects lenses from scratches and from heat and sun when they are not on your face.
- Keep them away from extreme temperatures
Do not leave glasses in a hot car and do not store them somewhere freezing.
- Clean them properly
Use a microfiber cloth and lens cleaner. Skip tissues, paper towels and household sprays. Check out our guide on how best to clean your glasses.
Spotting crazing
Hold the lenses up to a bright light and tilt them. Now look closely at the surface. Crazing usually shows as fine lines or a faint cracked pattern especially when light passes through.
Dealing with Crazed Lenses
If you've noticed crazing on your glasses, don't fret. Depending on the severity of the crazing, you have a few options:
- Professional polishing of the lenses:
Consult a Professional, if the crazing is minor, they might be able to polish the lens surface to minimise the appearance of cracks.
- Replace the lenses
If it affects your vision or the lenses look badly damaged then replacement is usually the best fix.
- Upgrade your glasses
If the lenses are due an update anyway, it can be a good excuse to choose a new pair that suits your prescription and your style.
Crazed lenses are never something that you set out to achieve, and can be such an inconvenience to your daily life, but with the right precautions you can prevent this from happening either for as long as possible, or even at all… and if it's already happened, this doesn’t mean it's game over for your beautiful specs, it might just mean the lens needs replacing rather than a whole new pair of glasses!
It's important to look after your glasses… after all, they look after you too!
