I have an issue with my glasses. They are about two years old. They have developed a white film on the frames. Weirdly, sometimes the film is there, and sometimes it isn’t. When it is there, I can’t get it off. Even if I wet it or grease it or whatever. I have no idea what it is.
Can anyone help?
Are those ‘real’ glasses or cheap $5 glasses from a rack at Target? I ask because A)the lenses aren’t distorting anything in the picture and B)if they’re just cheap fake glasses, it’s cheap plastic and it may just be deteriorating, probably from the sun. Do they get left on your car seat or your dashboard? What about near a window at home?
Do you get anything on them other than lens cleaner? Any solvents? I’ll bet hair spray would do that. Similarly, something (like an all-purpose cleaner) that gets sprayed in the air when they’re on your desk or counter. What about candles, do your burn candles near them? I’ve had cheap candles deposit soot in other rooms in my house, that’s black and wipes right off, but I’m just tossing it out there.
Joey P, these are the realest glasses that ever did help a person see. I can’t see shit without them. I am very near sided. I don’t wear hair spray. I don’t think that anything gets sprayed often around them. The glasses cost me an arm and a fucking leg. I went to the website and signed up for their lifetime warranty. When I went back to the website, it was so artsy that I couldn’t navigate it at all. The company is out of the country. What is wrong with my glasses, man.
ETA: I don’t drive since moving to NY. No dashboard in the sun or anything like that.
FTR, I do get that. I’ve had to tell people “No, really, if something happened to my glasses (or contacts as the case may be) you’d have to drive me home, even if we’re only a mile away from my house, I wouldn’t make it”.
i think it is the plastic aging. just the way it is.
Dammit. Nothing I can do?
Has this happened ever since you’ve had them, or only since when or what?
Ever happened to other glasses you have, previously or now?
Is there anything in particular that seems to trigger it happening? It going away?
Got a new car recently?Or living in a new house?
Take another look at that second shot. Observe the difference between the ASD and HJK keys on the keyboard. If you don’t see that - maybe *you *need glasses!
That’s possible if we work with my theory that it’s cheap plastic. Two years is pretty young for that to start happening to glasses.
Nzinga, have you had other plastic framed glasses, and if you have, has this happened to them before? If it has, if could just be your body chemistry, in which case, you’d likely also notice it in other places like the steering wheel of your car, jewelry, cell phone cases etc…
Also, if it is actually starting to age that rapidly, I’d think about lining up your next pair, if only because I’d worry about the plastic getting brittle and the bridge cracking in half. As much as it sucks to shell out the money for a new pair of glasses, it’d be worse to not have them. But before that, I’d look more into contacting the company about the warranty.
I’m going to guess that something in the plastic is reacting to the humidity. I’m saying that because that might explain the sporadic nature of the film.
Nice glasses, by the way. Be a shame if something happened to them.
Oh, shit. I’m pretty sure that’s the same sales pitch Tony Soprano gives for his lifetime glasses guarantee. But seriously, if you’ve a lifetime guarantee, you should try to take them up on it. I assume this is one of those companies in China?
I’ve noticed this on my glasses. I’m pretty sure it’s biological in nature - essentially a varnish made from stuff your skin and hair is secreting, building up in very thin, durable layers.
I think if you soak the affected area in warm water for half an hour, you’ll find that it softens to a sort of tough, waxy gel-like consistency and can be scraped off.
I had some glasses that got a white build up on them that I could not get off with normal glasses cleaning fluid, or with hot water and soap. I thought it was something to do with wearing them while cooking, and hot fumes from the oven damaging them somehow. I almost gave up on them, but eventually tried some “All Purpose Cleaner” which I rubbed on with a microfiber cloth, and rinsed off with hot water, and they came clean like a dream.
Well, it said it was for all purposes.
I have plastic glasses that are at least ten years old and are still in perfect condition, apart from a bit of wear and tear. Definitely nothing like this. I think you got sold a duff pair of glasses, sorry. 
If you can’t navigate the retailers website, see if they have a Facebook page or Twitter account, you’ll often get a faster response by ‘going public’ than via their website ‘contact us’ section.
Rubbing with grit based cleaner/polish may polish it off.
Toothpaste is such a grit based cleaner.
An “all purpose cleaner” or “gumption” too…
An automotive polish may contain a solvent (white spirits) which will attack the plastic (hydrocarbon polymer) frame -so do not use that.
Vaseline may be used to turn the white back to clear…
My initial reaction was gee, that looks like salt. You know, the stuff sweat leaves behind when it evaporates? The location on the earpieces and nose bridge sure makes it seem like its related to contact with your skin. Is there any relationship between warm or humid weather and this stuff appearing?
Sounds like cheap plastic. Should come off with some vigorous buffing. Maybe use some toothpaste as an abrasive.
My glasses are like that over the ears. But I haven’t noticed that it goes away and comes back. I’ve given them a swipe with alcohol and nothing changed so I just gave up on it. My hair covers all the crappy parts anyway.
Do you have bangs? Do they touch your glasses on the top and on the nose? If you did that would account for all the places your hair touches your glasses…
I suspect the frames are made from Cellulose Acetate. This is pretty common, and is one of the last uses of the material left. The white film is likely to be an exuded plasticiser. It is possible that you are keeping the glasses in too high a humidity environment. Possibly changes in humidity change the surface of the frames, and this reveals, or hides, the presence of the bloom, which may be just inside the surface. Cellulose Acetate will degrade with moisture, and this may be why the bloom is occurring. If you rub the bloom you may get a hint of smell of vinegar. It seems that you can have the bloom buffed off. However, I really would expect the material to be more stable than this - and it is possible that your frames were made from a sub-standard material, or process. If you have the bloom buffed off, and it returns, you may have a problem. But it may also be a one time issue, and the frames will settle down.
This guide might be of some small help.
There are some things we put on our skin and hair that can melt plastic over time. I got high quality mineral makeup on my counter by the sink and didn’t wash it off right away. It ate through the surface and left a permanent scar! Also I use Off with Deet insect repellent and it made my camera housing, steering wheel, gear shift knob, and sunglasses permanently sticky.
You should take them into a retail eyeglasses place and get their opinion. They can probably diagnose the problem.
DEET , acetone and chloroform (found in household products) will dissolve and damage plastics found in lots of products (watch crystals, lenses, electronic display screens).