On 12/21/09, Igor Uhrovic wrote:

There was a commercial on TV, running some time ago, about a magic bullet for fixing scratches on the glasses or camera lenses. Anyone saw it, or knows what product might work ?

Snake oil? There is nothing like this that wouldn't cause more harm, partly because of the coatings that Mark talked about, partly because no do-it-by-hand product is going to let you get a polish and shape accurate enough. Anything that claims to fill in a scratch is not going to match the refractive index of your optical glass, which can vary with brand and model. If a lens is so badly scratched* that it affects picture quality, get it fixed or replaced. For an slr/dslr lens, replacing the front element is said to be one of the cheapest repair available, though if it's a low-end lens, you'd be better off upgrading to a better one. For a point and shoot, it's probably not worth repair unless maybe it's something like a brand new $500 item. For eyeglasses, goggles4u.com is cheap and has a good reputation despite the name.

* Depending on what kind of photography you do, it's amazing how many nicks and dust motes can't be seen in the image unless you're using small apertures and/or some kinds of backlighting. Much harm is done to lenses in the name of 'cleaning' them. Cleaning (other than blowing it with something like a rocket blaster) shouldn't be a routine activity. If a lens gets dirty frequently (e.g. if you shoot in dusty conditions, or do macro near blowing branches), use a skylight or uv filter for protection--but only a good quality multicoated one (no point in degrading expensive glass with a piece of cheap glass or plastic). And always use a rigid lens hood--it's excellent protection for the front element.
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Allyn Weaks allyn at tardigrade.net Seattle, WA Sunset zone 5
Pacific NW Native Wildlife Gardening: http://www.tardigrade.org/natives/
Not counting bacteria, one out of every four species isn't a parasite.