"Cracking" lens in eye glasses! (fractures, doctors, eyeglasses)

[Tennesseestorm]

Thanks for the info and reply Percepeid. Well, I thought all was well until today when I noticed one of the NEW lens (less than 4 weeks old) is already cracking again!! Its a very small crack at the bottom that started in the exact same place as the last lens! I havent called them yet, they are closed now, but plan on calling tomorrow and see what they say. I dont want them to think its something I am doing, because I am not and they acted to me like it was a very rare issue when I took them back the last time.... I have not struck them, not dropped them or have abused in any fashion and have only cleaned them with luke warm water and gentle ivory soap. I called three other locations and like you said, they all said I could wash them with warm water and gentle soap to clean, which is all I have done. Can I suggest a plastic lens? These are the polycarbonate? lens.

I tell you, I am at a crossroads.

Btw, these are not rimless glasses. I will try to snap a pic of it, but at this point, its very small.

Thanks again!

Originally Posted by percepeid

Hi there,
Generally i'm just a browsers of these forums, however I am a licensed Optician so may be able to offer some insight.

the problem here, I am 90% sure, os because of the lens material. Polycarbonate lenses do have a tendency to crack. They are safety lenses in that they won't outright break, but the lens material is actually quite soft, it pits and cracks fairly easily. This is especially the case in Rimless glasses (where it will certainly crack at the drill mounting) or when the eyeglass lens was cut too large for the frame. The added pressure on the lens will cause this cracking.
Dish soap isn't the best to use, but it will certainly not create any chemical reaction causing the lend to physically crack. It may affect any AR coating you have, but not crack the lens.
This is certainly a lens defect, as a result of a lab error. They would be absolutely responsible for remedying this.
If you are looking for a safety lens, or slightly thinner lens I would recommend a material called "trivex" some companies will also call this "duralite." It is about as thin as Polycarbonate but significantly stronger and will not crack. If you have a rather strong RX, I would recommend a 1.67 High Index lens for it's thin profile as well as strength. If none of these apply, the simply CR-39 lens would suffice.
Any further questions please feel free to ask.

[christina0001]

That is really strange. I can't help but wonder if it is because of how you are washing your glasses. My glasses last forever, and I rarely wash them. If they are really dirty, I will usually just wipe them with the edge of my shirt. If they are really, really bad, I just spray a little bit of vinegar water on them (that's what I use for glass cleaner) and wipe them off with a rag. I probably do that about twice a year.
A local eye doctor that I work with through my employment, only recommends the special eyeglass cleaner he sells. If you really like cleaning your glasses so much, you might see if your eye doctor sells anything special to clean them with.

[Annie53]

I have always cleaned my glasses every day with water and dish soap.....for years and through several pairs of glasses, they have never cracked.

There is something defective with glasses that crack like that. Maybe there is a spur or imperfection on the frame itself that is putting pressure on the lens, causing them to crack at that spot.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

My husband had glasses and prescription sunglasses from a discount place and both pairs got cracks like you're describing.

His current pair came from Walmart (and took forever to come in, but that's a different issue) and is holding up perfectly, no cracks. He's using the little packets of eyeglass wipes that you can buy from Walmart, and refuses to let anything else touch his glasses because he's afraid they'll end up cracking like the last pair.

[Tennesseestorm]

Originally Posted by christina0001

That is really strange. I can't help but wonder if it is because of how you are washing your glasses. My glasses last forever, and I rarely wash them. If they are really dirty, I will usually just wipe them with the edge of my shirt. If they are really, really bad, I just spray a little bit of vinegar water on them (that's what I use for glass cleaner) and wipe them off with a rag. I probably do that about twice a year.
A local eye doctor that I work with through my employment, only recommends the special eyeglass cleaner he sells. If you really like cleaning your glasses so much, you might see if your eye doctor sells anything special to clean them with.

I know. I dont think its the washing because I called three other lenscrafters locations and they all said it was fine to wash with warm water and soap such as Ivory, which is all I use. I have to wash mine because I have very oily skin and they get nasty if not washed every morning. I have "OCD" to a point to and cannot stand it on there. lol. My last glasses I had (still have) for 10 years and they never cracked and I washed them daily for 10 years.
My moms cousin has a friend that got some out there that cracked last month and she said he has never washed them so I dont know.

I called them a few moments ago and he said to bring them in and they would look at them for me to see whats going on.

Originally Posted by Annie53

I have always cleaned my glasses every day with water and dish soap.....for years and through several pairs of glasses, they have never cracked.

There is something defective with glasses that crack like that. Maybe there is a spur or imperfection on the frame itself that is putting pressure on the lens, causing them to crack at that spot.

Yes, me too... my least glasses lasted 10 years, washed daily and never a crack at all. I agree, I think something is going on with the frames causing pressure there and cracking... its the same lens, same spot.

Well, thanks for the replies, we will see what they say.

[Tennesseestorm]

update - I took them out there (Lenscrafters) and they once again ordered new lenses. This is round #3, so we will see. When I went out there to first let them see, one of them asked me if I had spilled any solvents on them or dish liquid... I said I used Ivory and he (one of the workers) kinda cringed. I told him that two other local Lenscrafters told me it was fine to wash with Ivory liquid, but he didnt say anything.

They said that since these have cracked twice that they were going to specify that they make them thicker (I guess only the area where they meet the frames). He said they would special make them, but it would be about 2 weeks, but ended up being a week. (Though I cant tell any difference though in the thickness around the frames). I went out there today and they put the new lenses in the frames in about 15 minutes and said I was good to go, not mentioning anything about the do's or dont's. Now I am hesitant to wash them again, but my skin is so oily and these get so soiled if I dont wash them... and since I have OCD (to a certain extent) and things like dirty glasses bother me, I am at a crossroads. I remember my grandmother washing her glasses for YEARS and never causing any problems, so I dont know. I guess if they crack, I will go back again and again and again until my insurance will pay for more lenses (once per year).

Surely there is some type of soap out there that is perfectly fine for polycarbonate lenses.... they said Ivory was fine... anyone else wash their poly lenses with soap and never had a problem... if so what do you use? Thanks!

[tilli]

Since your lenses have cracked so many times I think you are wise to consider something other than dish soap to keep them clean. I use a microfiber lens cloth, it gets the grunge off easily with no solvents required and you can use it as often as you like. They also make cleaning kits that contain a safe solvent if you really want a liquid clean, these usually also contain a lens cloth. Personally I find liquid cleaning is only necessary if I have let water drops dry on the lens - the cloth is almost always sufficient.

[eve.az]

I have rimless glasses and I noticed a crack where the screw fits into the lens. I went back to the optician and he said, "Oh well, these things happen." He contradicted himself because first he said it was very difficult for a crack like this to occur, and then he said it happens easily. I had brought them back once for him to adjust because they were slightly crooked on my face. I watched him as he was bending the frame a bit - and got a bit nervous - he said to not worry - he knew what he was doing. I sometimes wonder if that caused the problem - but I didn't notice anything then. I just think that perhaps the screw in that lens was originally bolted too tight when they were made. He was not going to fix it at no cost to me. He offered me $150 "discount" for new lenses. What should I do? He is the manager of the shop and I then asked for the number of higher management out of state. I noticed the crack in July of 2011. I didn't wear them again and brought them back in October of 2011. These are glasses I purchased in December of 2010. He said the glasses were only guaranteed for a month after purchase. Per the optician's post (percepeid) - this is a manufacturing error. Any advice - I haven't called the headquarters yet?

[suzy_q2010]

It would not hurt to move further up the management chain.

The only problem I see is that you waited three months after you first noticed the crack.

When you call, be polite, make it clear that you believe it was a manufacturing defect, and that you would like the lens replaced at no charge.

This is an online source for eyeglasses:

Eyeglasses, Glasses, Eyewear, Prescription Sunglasses -- Eyeglasses.com

This is what they say about rimless frames:

"Rimless eyeglass frames have no frame at all around the lens. Rimless eyeglasses come in three pieces (two temples and the nose part). The lenses are actually part of the strength of the frame, so it is important to only use polycarbonate or Trivex or high index lens material on rimless glasses."

So before you call, you may want to see if you can find out what material was used to make your lenses.

"Mounting lenses into rimless eyeglass frames is tricky and requires a skilled and experienced technician. Each lens must be drilled perfectly so that the frame fits snugly into the lens. Poorly mounted rimless eyeglasses will begin to rattle, and can eventually crack the lens."

I think you can argue that since the frames were crooked and required the adjustment you described that the frame was not properly mounted in the first place.

Good luck!

[eve.az]

Thank you for the reply. I left a message for the regional manager to call me, so we'll see what she says.