Introduction: Removing Anti-reflective Coatings From Eyeglasses
Most vendors who sell eyeglasses push you to get anti-reflective coatings at a surcharge. These coatings do not age well and often you get bubbles and delamination at the edges. The eyeglasses are still good but the coatings have deteriorated. I tried removing these coatings with isopropanol and gentle scraping with wooden toothpicks but it made it worse. I found a simple and effective way to remove these pesky coatings - heat!
Supplies
You need a source of hot air that does not exceed 110 C. I used a temperature controlled hot-air soldering iron. A hair dryer may work.
Step 1: Using Heat to Detach the Coating
I laid the eyeglasses on a surface and applied the hot air onto the eyeglass lens over the anti-reflective coating. The heat resulted in the film peeling off without any visible damage to the polycarbonate lens.
Step 2: Removing the Detached-flakes
Used alcohol wipes to remove the flakes with gentle rubbing. Repeated the process on the other lens. Almost all the coating did come off with a few stubborn spots still remaining.
This method may potentially work by placing the eyeglasses in boiling water to loosen the coatings.
