Fixing lens scratches in your VR headset

By Essa Kidwell
last updated

The most fragile part of any VR headset is the place where you put your eyeballs. These lenses, regardless of type, are either glass or plastic and not particularly easy or cheap to replace. If your headset has been in the hands of many friends, family members, or even kids, chances are you've got a few scratches on your device.

No worries though, we've got plenty of helpful answers for you here on how to fix this.

Make sure everything is clean first

Before we even start with how to repair, you want to make sure all the surfaces of your headset are clean, especially the lenses in question. You'll need a dry microfiber cloth, a can of compressed air, and alcohol or anti-bacterial pads.

  1. Use your compressed air can to blow all the dust and dirt out of the tiny areas you won't be able to get to with your cleaning pads.
  2. Wipe down your entire headset with the alcohol or anti-bacterial pads, making sure to get all the dust bunnies up your just agitated.
  3. Gently dry off your device with your dry microfiber cloth, and clean the lenses last. I say this because you want to make sure the most of your effort goes here to ensure the dirt is removed, the surface is dry and that you are now dealing with a clean surface.

Is your device clean? Great! Now, time to look at your options.

What are the different repair options?

White Toothpaste

For this repair you'll need the white toothpaste, a few Q-Tips, a damp paper towel, and a dry microfiber cloth.

  1. After you have ensured your device is clean and dry, put a coat of the white toothpaste on your lenses. I used a healthy amount, making sure the entire glass was covered.

  1. Scroll down and select Devices.

  1. Use your first Q-tip to spread it around evenly.
  2. Let this set for a minute or two.
  3. Use your next Q-Tip to gently massage the glass in small circles, focusing on the areas you know are scuffed or scratched.
  4. If you have been rubbing for more than 3-5 minutes with little to no change, please check out the other options listed above.

  1. Take your microfiber cloth and wipe away the residue from the toothpaste, this will make a bit of a mess.

  1. If your toothpaste has gotten lodged in the cracks as I've shown above go ahead and use a clean Q-Tip or an air compressor to help you clean those crannies.
  2. Repeat the steps above in regards to cleaning. Then check out your protection options and go back to enjoying your headset!

Meguiars ScratchX

If you're not on keen to the idea of putting toothpaste on your VR Headset and are willing to spend a few extra bucks, there is a product specifically for scratches and scuffs. I know, it's mostly used for car scratches, but there have been cases of people using it to fix scuffs on their VR Headsets with the same amazing results. It definitely looks very effective, with less work than toothpaste.

Check out the video, and then see the extra steps I've added for optimal care.

  1. After you have ensured your device is clean and dry, coat your lenses with Meguiars ScratchX.
  2. Use your next Q-Tip to gently massage the glass in small circles, focusing on the areas you know are scuffed or scratched.
  3. Test the area by swiping away some of the toothpaste with your Q-Tip, if you feel satisfied with the results, move to the next step.
  4. Scratches are gone, or you're just ready to clean up? Take your microfiber cloth and wipe away the residue from the Meguiars ScratchX, this will make a bit of a mess. If your Meguiars has gotten lodged in the cracks use a clean Q-Tip or an air compressor to help you clean those crannies.
  5. Repeat the steps above in regards to cleaning. Then check out your protection options and go back to enjoying your headset!

If the scratches are too deep for home DIY fixes, you'll need to check the warranty for your device

Amazon Warranty Policy (opens in new tab)

Device Protection

Hopefully you are all settled with a device that no longer has any scratches on it. You want to look into options to keep that device protected, as you know how troublesome a repair can be. Thankfully, for most headsets, they sell screen protectors much like you use on your phone. This will help prevent small surface scratches from things like glasses, or even some major scratches from drops and scuffs.

If they don't make screen protectors for your specific device, that's okay. You can always substitute with watch screen-protectors to use instead.

Essa Kidwell
Essa Kidwell

Essa Kidwell is an expert in all things VR and mobile devices who can always be found with an Oculus Go, a Pixel 2, and an iPhone 7+. They've been taking things apart just to put them back together for quite some time. If you've got a troubleshooting issue with any of your tech, they're the one you want to go to! Find them on Twitter @OriginalSluggo or Instagram @CosmeticChronus.