# Can someone tell me what is going on with my glasses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 7, 2014, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-going-on-with-my-glasses/687872 "2014-05-07T04:55:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![thatguyjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@thatguyjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thatguyjeff)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-going-on-with-my-glasses/687872/21 "2014-05-07T16:36:43Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/VRdSUR5M_9Y/hqdefault.jpg "How to Polish Plastic Eyeglass Frames : Eyeglasses Basics") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRdSUR5M_9Y) This video suggests using either furniture polish or a multipurpose (3 in 1) type household oil. I’m tempted to try (because I have the exact same problem), but are these chemicals safe for prolonged contact with skin? I have doubts. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-going-on-with-my-glasses/687872/22 "2014-05-07T17:12:46Z")
> [@PurpleClogs](#): > > 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. I would think it’s something along these lines. Once buffed off try a product that seals the plastic like automotive wax. You or somebody you know has some laying around in their garage. They make products specifically to seal plastic against UV light but they’re expensive. Like $80. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-going-on-with-my-glasses/687872/23 "2014-05-07T17:18:32Z")
Do you use alcohol wipes or lens wipes that contain rubbing alcohol to clean them? Some plastics can’t handle alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-going-on-with-my-glasses/687872/24 "2014-05-07T18:24:28Z")
Thanks everyone. I will try suggestions. Very busy and can’t comment on everything I wanted to, but wanted to say thank for contributing. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-going-on-with-my-glasses/687872/25 "2014-05-08T03:14:09Z")
Here is what has definitely worked for me - Pledge. The stuff that you use to polish furniture - make sure you spray it on a piece of cloth and then apply it to the frame. Do not apply it to the glass. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-going-on-with-my-glasses/687872/26 "2014-05-08T03:19:39Z")
I dig the metal flake frames. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-going-on-with-my-glasses/687872/27 "2014-05-08T04:48:25Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > … > Nice glasses, by the way. Be a shame if something happened to them. Haha. That cracked me up at work today. > [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > 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 is the kind of scientific shit I come home to the dope for! Good info, thanks. Bloom. Yes…I like having the perfect word for it now. Thanks. Bloom > [@WhyNot](#): > > Do you use alcohol wipes or lens wipes that contain rubbing alcohol to clean them? Some plastics can’t handle alcohol. No. Never. > [@am77494](#): > > Here is what has definitely worked for me - Pledge. The stuff that you use to polish furniture - make sure you spray it on a piece of cloth and then apply it to the frame. Do not apply it to the glass. Directions unclear. Sprayed pledge directly in both eyes. > [@Little\_Pig](#): > > I dig the metal flake frames. Thanks. It’s cool because you can only really see the sparkle in direct sunlight. They are on the inside of the glasses. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-going-on-with-my-glasses/687872/28 "2014-05-08T05:20:34Z")
You sure you didn’t buy some Transitions™ Patina® Frames? ---
**Author:** ![Toptips](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@Toptips](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toptips)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-going-on-with-my-glasses/687872/29 "2015-06-14T13:14:53Z")
There’s no answer to the question, ‘how do i remove the white deposit from my two year old spectacles’ or so it seems surveying various comments on on-line fora. But I’ve had a light bulb moment which works for me. Many who pose this question observe that the side of the glasses arm next to the skin never develops the white bloom. So they speculate that this is evidence of plastic decay caused by UV rays. Well that could be but I thought about this observation and it suddenly dawned on me what the answer is. What if the outside of the arm was next to the skin, wouldn’t it stay clean? Obviously you can’t have it next to the skin permanently but i have found that wiping the outside on my forehead every so often keeps the plastic clear of white boom. Simples. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-going-on-with-my-glasses/687872/30 "2015-06-15T00:49:34Z")
Squalene is great stuff! ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-going-on-with-my-glasses/687872/31 "2015-06-15T00:54:04Z")
Francis Vaughan is correct that the plastic in your frames is cellulose acetate. Here is a link re [cellulose acetate](https://www.fetcheyewear.com/blog/post/all-about-acetate) being used in glasses frames. It’s used in part because it’s normally hypoallergenic and well tolerated by most people in contact with skin. It’s by no means an indicator that the glasses are “cheap”. Many very expensive frames use this material. > [@](#): > > What is Acetate? Cellulose acetate is a plant-based plastic that is hypoallergenic. This material was first used for eyewear in the late 1940’s because of brittleness and other problems with previously used plastics. Today’s acetates are known for being strong, lightweight, and flexible. Cellulose acetate also has the widest range for transparency, rich colors, and finishes. More complex colorations are able to be produced by layering several colors or transparencies in layers and sandwiching them together. What going on is described here - [Haze free cellulose acetate and its preparation](http://www.google.com/patents/US2097464). The haze is because metal salts and occasionally other components are precipitating out of the plastic over time. Many of my older glasses frames develop this surface hazing. There is no fix as it is “in” the plastic. You can eliminate this haze temporarily by using Armor All or similar products (even oil from your skin will work) to “wet” the surface of the plastic but as soon as it evaporates in a few hours the haze will reappear. , . ---
**Author:** ![misling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@misling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misling)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-going-on-with-my-glasses/687872/32 "2015-06-15T17:10:10Z")
If you go to a glasses shop, would it be possible to replace just the frames? less expensive than replacing the whole thing, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-going-on-with-my-glasses/687872/33 "2015-06-15T19:15:06Z")
Try baby oil on them. Not too much or they will slide down your face, fall on the floor and break. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-going-on-with-my-glasses/687872.md?page=1)